Cayman Islands rolls out national eID card to general public

The Cayman Islands has officially opened applications for its national identification card, My eID, to the general public. The physical ID, which integrates access to digital services, is made by smart card manufacturer SELP.

The first copies of the physical document were issued at the beginning of 2025 as part of a pilot, which supplied the IDs to public servants. Last Friday, Minister for Social Development and Innovation Isaac Rankine announced the full launch of My eID at the 2026 Cayman Chamber Economic Forum.

“We’re launching it now because we feel this is the right time to get people engaged in their digital identity online,” says Rankine.

SELP won the bid for the ID cards after the Caribbean country issued a tender in 2021. The French security printing company is known for supplying both the payments sector and national identity programs, including in countries such as Moldova. The firm also provides hardware and software for biometric enrollment, digital identity and e-government infrastructure and online Know Your Customer (KYC) verification.

Work on implementing the national identification scheme in the Cayman Islands, however, did not begin until the country’s parliament passed the Identification Register Bill and Cayman Islands Identification Card Bill in 2022. The scheme is projected to cost around US$9.6 million over five years.

My eID is being offered for free and on a voluntary basis. The electronic ID card includes a digital authentication certificate that can be used to log into the eServices Sign In portal for government services. It also comes with a digital signature certificate for eIDAS-compliant e-signatures.

The goal of the new digital ID is to transition the largely paper-based public sector into the digital age.

“The digital My eID card will give these islands a strong infrastructural base for the next wave of digital services and future efficiencies,” says Charles Brown, the Ministry’s deputy chief officer.

The card is equipped with a QR code, allowing users to share specific details from the Identification Register, including immigration status. It also comes with a Machine Readable Zone (MRZ) and an NFC chip.

The Cayman government has promised that the system will focus on privacy: My eID only shares information that users have chosen to share.

“My eID is about putting people in control of their own information. It gives individuals a secure, trusted way to prove who they are and to share only what they choose, when they choose,” says Minister Rankine.

Article Topics

biometric enrollment  |  biometrics  |  Cayman Islands  |  digital government  |  digital ID  |  e-ID  |  SELP