Papua New Guinea builds legal foundation for digital identity ecosystem

The government of Papua New Guinea (PNG) is preparing a legal framework for citizens to securely identify themselves and access digital services through the country’s upcoming national digital ID.

The legislation marks a transition from digital identity policy development to implementation. Beyond establishing a national digital ID, the framework is intended to support a broader ecosystem of identity wallets, verifiable credentials and consent-based data exchange that can be used across government and private-sector services.

The proposed Bill for the Digital Identity and Verifiable Credentials was introduced last week by the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), following the endorsement of the country’s National Digital ID Policy in 2025.

The legislation will support the rollout of the SevisPass digital ID system and the SevisWallet identity wallet, made by Tech5 and launched last year. The framework also supports SevisDEx and other approved Verifiable Credentials, according to ICT Minister Peter Tsiamalili Jr.

“The SevisWallet App is now available on both the iOS App Store and Google Play, giving citizens a practical pathway to register, hold, and present trusted digital credentials,” says Tsiamalili.

Issuers, verifiers, and relying partners are expected to align their systems and compliance pathways to support the rollout of the digital ID by July 2026.

The digital ID system will support electronic Know Your Customer (eKYC) processes, SIM registration and secure onboarding. It will also enable the digital verification of credentials such as tax numbers, driver’s licenses, student IDs and educational certificates, the government notes. Together with SevisWallet and SevisDEx, the initiative is intended to create a broader digital identity ecosystem that can underpin digital public infrastructure and service delivery across government and industry.

“We are moving from policy to implementation,” says Tsiamalili. “SevisPass will verify identity. SevisWallet will hold and present trusted credentials. SevisDEx will enable secure, consent‑based data exchange. Verifiable Credentials will allow citizens to prove their qualifications, licenses, memberships, entitlements, and status.”

The Minister called on all key partners, including financial institutions, telcos, government agencies, education institutions and professional bodies, to work closely with DICT and the National Information & Communications Technology Authority (NICTA) to ensure readiness.

The country has already made the national digital ID mandatory for all business entities participating in state tenders.

Last month, the PNG government also presented the draft National Sovereign Digital Transformation and AI Strategy, which aims to integrate digital government, digital public infrastructure (DPI), critical digital infrastructure and AI adoption. To support the development, the country plans to establish a state-owned entity called Kumul Digital Infrastructure Holding Company (KDIHC).

Article Topics

data exchange platform  |  digital ID infrastructure  |  digital identity  |  legislation  |  Papua New Guinea  |  SevisDEx  |  SevisPass  |  SevisWallet  |  verifiable credentials