Thailand positions digital ID as backbone for digital economy

Thailand is making moves as it lays out strategy to expand its national digital identity infrastructure. The Electronic Transactions Development Agency (ETDA), under the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society, is scaling the ecosystem through a combination of regulation, standards and interoperability frameworks.

Dr. Chaichana Mitraphan, director of ETDA, said the government’s policy is to establish digital ID as a national trust infrastructure that links verified identity with digital services to enable secure and seamless online interactions across sectors. The plan falls under the Digital ID Framework Phase 2 for 2025 to 2027.

“2026 will be the year ETDA moves forward from laying the foundation to expanding the practical use of Digital ID in government services, the private sector, businesses, migrant workers, and vulnerable groups,” said Mitraphan.

The initiative looks to reduce identity fraud and strengthen confidence in digital transactions while supporting Thailand’s broader economic competitiveness. ETDA has now connected digital ID to 1,797 government e-services.

“This will be coupled with expanding international cooperation networks to ensure Thailand’s digital services can efficiently connect with the global digital economy. This will directly benefit the country by reducing transaction costs, increasing access to services, and creating new economic opportunities for citizens and businesses.”

The current trust architecture includes 28 licensed digital ID service providers across 23 organizations, along with three Sub Certification Authorities operating under the National Root Certification Authority. This structure underpins identity proofing and authentication while giving public and private sector platforms confidence in adopting digital identity systems.

Adoption has already reached significant scale, with more than 162.63 million cumulative digital ID accounts created across platforms such as ThaID, NDID, and other government-linked applications. Citizens and businesses are using digital ID to access tax payments, civil registration updates, vehicle services, utilities and healthcare verification, among other services.

ETDA is also pushing adoption into private sector use cases, particularly in sectors such as tourism, digital platforms, marketplaces and social commerce where trusted identity verification is increasingly critical.

Expanding digital identity to include underserved groups

The next phase of development is focused on extending digital ID to more complex and underserved identity groups. This includes legal entities, where ETDA is developing frameworks for authorized person verification, digital powers of attorney, and entity-based electronic signatures and contracts.

These capabilities are being tested through sandbox programmes with agencies including the Revenue Department, the Department of Business Development, and the Customs Department, with the aim of reducing reliance on paper processes and improving auditability.

Foreign nationals are another priority, with ETDA working alongside agencies such as the Immigration Bureau to build infrastructure for verifying identities of visitors, workers and residents. Plans include the creation of authoritative identity sources that service providers can use to validate foreign credentials, with pilot programmes targeting tourists and migrant workers to support real-world deployment. Thailand is also looking to modernize immigration checks with a new digital ID app.

At the same time, the agency is focusing on inclusive identity models for vulnerable groups, which include minors, elderly users and people with disabilities. That means mechanisms to securely verify relationships between individuals and their caregivers or representatives, particularly for access to healthcare and essential public services. This is intended to reduce risks associated with identity misuse while ensuring equitable access.

Thailand is also moving toward international standards-based digital identity through the rollout of verifiable credentials and digital document wallets. Pilot projects are underway to digitize key credentials such as national ID cards, driver’s licences and academic records, enabling cryptographically verifiable digital documents that can be shared across agencies.

ETDA is working with global organizations including the World Bank and the World Wide Web Consortium to support interoperability and cross-border recognition of digital credentials.

The broader strategy reflects a shift from building foundational infrastructure to enabling real-world, large-scale use of trusted digital identity across sectors and populations.

Mitraphan emphasized trust: “Trust cannot be built by any single entity, but must come from the collaborative efforts of the entire ecosystem to create digital trust, a crucial foundation for the future digital economy and society,” he said.

Article Topics

digital government  |  digital ID infrastructure  |  National Digital ID (NDID)  |  ThaID  |  Thailand