Estonia will introduce Electronic citizenship

Estonia will become the first country in the world to introduce Electronic citizenship. At the price of 50 Euro the Estonian citizens will have access to digital services in the country, as well as the ability to sign electronic documents, which will include access to services such as online banking, education and healthcare. According to the laws of the European Union (EU) the electronic signatures of the “virtual” Estonian citizens will be treated equally with handwritten signatures. Using them Estonia will provide e-citizenship of natural and legal persons in the country, as well as those who want to do business, but do not want to change their place of residence.

The move is part of the so-called. “electronic initiatives” of the Estonian authorities, which are the result of collaboration between the government and the information and communication sector. The initiative aims to make Estonia one of the most progressive countries in the world. However, the Estonian government stated that e-citizenship does not guarantee the issue of the citizenship of the country. Anyone wishing to receive e-citizenship, must personally come to the Estonian Border Guard Service, which issues permits. The decision takes up to two weeks, after which the new “virtual” Estonian citizen must re-visit the border authorities to take their e-card.

This document is not an ordinary passport. It does not have a photo of the owner and microchip with integrated safety certificate and two-factor system reliability. According to the Estonian government protection “allows you to use the card using a specially installed software and reader that connects to a computer via USB”. It is expected that the authorities in Tallinn to start producing cards for e-citizenship by the end of this year.