Nearly 5,000 separate eServices enable people to run their daily errands without having to get off their computers at home. They can enter into agreements, sign documents, submit various applications, use digital channels and means to communicate with various state authorities and service providers and so on.

The chip on the new card carries embedded files, and using 2048-bit public key encryption, it can be used as definitive proof of ID in an electronic environment. Thanks to the ID card, Estonia has one of the world’s most advanced digital signature systems. As of January this year, there are approximately 1.3 million ID cards being used in Estonia, which constitutes nearly 98% of the entire population of the country.

New cards since November 2018

Estonia’s new national eID cards with upgraded design and security features were introduced in December 2018. It took 18 months to prepare. Both internal and external experts were consulted when drawing up the new card’s design and choosing the security elements including the Estonian Forensic Science Institute and Enterprise Estonia.

The new cards utilise Estonia’s own font and elements of its brand, and feature a colour photo, a transparent window and an invisible secondary photograph that will only appear when viewed from an angle. One new detail is the inclusion of a QR code, which will make it easier to check the validity of the ID card.

It has already been highly recognized, received an ID document award that recognises outstanding achievement and technical sophistication of a document and promotes the best in system infrastructure and implementation of a government passport or national identity card scheme.

You can read more about opportunities in e-Identity under our webpage’s Cyber Security section. You are also welcome to request more information via our unique e-Consulting service.