Use of digital ID to access essential services jumps in Ireland

Digital ID is now commonplace in Ireland, becoming mainstream among the Irish public who are turning to digital services more readily.

According to the country’s Central Statistics Office (CSO), close to eight in 10 people now use a digital ID to access essential services. The figures show 79 percent of online users made use of eID to login to public or private online services last year.

The majority – 92 percent – used eID such as MyGovID or Ireland’s tax revenue service myAccount, with 63 percent completing their tax returns digitally. CSO’s Digital Interactions with Public Services 2025 report indicates growing acceptance and even willingness to turn to online services.

Interestingly, women were slightly more likely to use eIDs than men, at 81 percent compared with 77 percent of males. Digital ID use among non-nationals was around 85 percent, to access public services, while it was 92 percent for Irish nationals. Women were also more likely to access their online information held by public authorities, at 53 percent compared to 48 percent for men.

Overall, those who used eID to access online public services increased by five percentage points compared to 2023, which was when questions on eID use were last included in CSO’s survey. However, 42 percent of internet users who had not used eID in the previous 12 months hadn’t heard of eID, while a further 40 percent knew of eID but did not have one.

Those living in Ireland also appear trusting. Only one percent said they had security concerns over personal data such as name, address, financial information or did not want to pay online over concerns like credit card fraud.

Countries worldwide are currently engaged in digital transformation and Ireland’s experience with e-government seems encouraging, especially as 2025 saw a significant jump compared to the previous year.

CSO records more than half – 51 percent – of online users in 2025 making an online appointment or reservation with public authorities or services. These include the National Driver License Service (NDLS), the passport office or a hospital.  This represents an increase of 11 percentage points from when the survey was last carried out in 2024.

In 2025, one in six people – 17 percent – requested official documents including birth, graduation, death, marriage or divorce certificates online. More than a quarter – 27 percent – of internet users requested benefits or entitlements online.

“As more public services are available online, more people are using the internet to engage with public authorities,” said Maureen Delamere, statistician in the social analysis division, CSO. “The use of these online services requires a method of electronic identification (eID) that can clearly identify a person and delivers a secure login.”

Digital ID could expand in Ireland, with the government developing a wallet app through which age assurance for age-restricted online content will run. Previously, Dublin has expressed an intention to launch a digital wallet aligned with the EUDI Wallet project.

The wallet would hold digital identity credentials such as a mobile driver’s license (mDL). Downloading the app would become mandatory for age assurance, under the plans, which were elaborated by Communications Minister Patrick O’Donovan. Ireland is set to assume the EU presidency in July and has put child online safety at the center of its platform.

Biometrics use in Public Services Card faces legal scrutiny

Ireland’s Department of Social Protection (DSP) has confirmed it is defending 24 separate legal actions linked to the biometric processing for the Public Services Card (PSC).

In a briefing to the Public Accounts Committee, officials acknowledged the outstanding circuit court cases, which were all lodged prior to the 2021 Data Protection Commission (DPC) inquiry. None have yet advanced substantively, reports The Irish Examiner.

Last summer, Ireland’s Data Protection Commission (DPC) concluded a long-running investigation into the DSP. The Irish government was fined €550,000 after the ruling found the agency in breach of several key provisions of the GDPR for its use of face biometric templates and biometric matching in the issuance of Public Services Cards.

The legal disputes center on whether the PSC’s photo-based system constitutes biometric data. For years, the department argued that its process — generating an “arithmetic template” from facial images — did not meet the GDPR definition of biometric data.

However, the DPC’s June 2025 ruling rejected that position, concluding the PSC does involve biometric processing. In addition to the fine, the regulator ordered the State to discontinue such processing within nine months unless a lawful basis could be established.

Biometric data, under GDPR, refers to information derived from physical traits used for identification, such as fingerprints or facial images. The PSC includes a photograph on every card, which the DPC deemed sufficient to qualify as biometric.

The department has appealed the decision, arguing that the DPC did not find evidence of harm to citizens but rather questioned the legal clarity and precision of the State’s framework. That appeal remains before the courts.

A previous clash over the PSC’s proposed mandatory nature ended in a 2021 settlement after two years of litigation.

Despite ongoing legal uncertainty, the PSC remains widely used by millions of Irish citizens for welfare payments, driving licence renewals and access to childcare services.

Article Topics

biometrics  |  digital government  |  digital ID  |  digital wallets  |  government services  |  Ireland