In recent years, many countries have launched new digital identity (Digital ID) systems. They are being introduced by governments and private organisations alike, from banks and universities to tech firms.
These services let citizens use electronic documents via online portals, but raise personal security risks. ForkLog has surveyed the main Digital ID initiatives rolled out by authorities in recent years.
In September 2025 the UK government announced a nationwide Digital ID scheme. Its stated aims are to curb illegal migration and cut red tape. Officials say it will deter unlawful employment while simplifying access to vital public services for most people, from driving licences and benefits to tax records.
The digital credential, BritCard, would sit in a phone app and be issued free to all UK citizens and residents.
The government stresses there will be no requirement to carry it at all times — it will be requested only for specific checks. By 2029, however, a digital ID will be required for employment.
Work is under way on the GOV.UK Digital Wallet, which will store Digital ID alongside digital driving licences.
The initiative emphasises protections for vulnerable groups: alternatives are planned for people without smartphones, and developers are consulting organisations representing homeless people and the elderly.
Switzerland put its electronic ID (e-ID) law to a referendum twice. In 2021 voters rejected excessive private-sector involvement. The revised plan makes the state the issuer, on a free and voluntary basis.
On 28 September 2025 a majority of voters backed the law (50.4%).
The e-ID will be linked to a citizen’s smartphone for online identification to access services, verify age and so on. It can also be presented offline — for instance, to open a bank account.
For security, each e-ID will be tied to a single device; changing phones will require obtaining a new credential. Physical passports and ID cards will remain valid, and a new biometric plastic card with fingerprints is due by late 2025. A citizen may therefore hold a passport or ID card alongside a smartphone e-ID.
The approved e-ID is seen as a step toward e-government and the removal of bureaucratic hurdles — especially for the roughly 10% of Swiss citizens living abroad.
In 2023 Austria moved from the Handy-Signature mobile signature to ID Austria, a full national digital identity. Implemented via the Digitales Amt and eAusweise apps, it can hold a digital passport, driving licence and other credentials.
ID Austria comes in basic and enhanced levels; the latter requires in-person identity proofing and supports smartphone use, including cross-border recognition within the EU.
ID Austria enables identity proofing nationwide, access to online services and remote document signing.
France has rolled out the France Identité app, which works with the chip embedded in ID cards. In November 2023 the government announced full deployment.
France Identité lets citizens prove identity online without oversharing data and store digital versions of documents (ID card, driving licence and more).
Since February 2024 a digital driving licence has been available through the app, with the health insurance card due to be integrated by end-2025. The service uses modern protections (Face ID/biometrics for access) and complies with European security requirements.
In 2023 Spain began introducing a mobile DNI (MiDNI), an app that stores the national ID on a smartphone. The launch took place in April 2025.
MiDNI allows electronic identification to access public services. Features will expand to support online document signing and remote identity proofing for private services.
After full rollout, MiDNI will let citizens vote, open bank accounts, check in at hotels, rent cars and more — all online. Registration is done via the website or police terminals with a physical DNI check.
Poland has made strong headway in popularising its mDowod digital ID.
Since July 2023 the digital credential has been legally equivalent to the paper ID in most scenarios. Citizens can present mDowod in the mObywatel app at public offices, banks, post offices and even at the ballot box.
By October 2024 mDowod had over 8m users. In parallel, the mojeID system (identity via banks and clearing house KIR) serves about 22m customers.
In 2025 Bosnia and Herzegovina launched the e-IDDEEA mobile app. It lets citizens obtain digital versions of passports, ID cards and driving licences.
The system meets eIDAS requirements. Through e-IDDEEA, users can apply qualified e-signatures remotely for public services (tax, insurance, social benefits) and commercial services (banks, telecoms).
Registration requires an in-person visit to an office to obtain credentials for the app, after which the digital documents are legally valid.
Germany is seeing rising usage of its BundID access portal. Denmark has completed the shift to the MitID national eID from NemID and legalised digital versions of the driving licence and health card, fully equivalent to paper.
Ireland completed a successful pilot of a national digital wallet in preparation for eIDAS 2.0 (the EU established the legal basis for such wallets in May 2024).
Broadly, countries are aligning with the EU plan: by end-2026 every citizen should have access to a single European Digital Identity (the EUDI Wallet).
The wallet is being built as an open app to hold ID, driving licences, diplomas and other attestations in one place, to be presented on- or offline on request. Some 550 organisations (public bodies and firms) from EU states, Norway, Iceland and Ukraine are taking part in pilots.
Ukraine was among the first states to give full legal force to a digital passport. Diia, a mobile app and web portal, provides access to public services and documents. Domestic and international passports, driving licences, diplomas, vehicle registrations and children’s birth certificates all sit in one place.
Diia also supports identity proofing and registration/login across various resources.
The service integrates more than 70 public resources (company registration, fine payments, appeals to authorities).
In 2025 Ukraine adopted Resolution 689 on the use of a digital ID wallet in which individuals and legal entities can store IDs and digital signatures and use them remotely without payment functions.
Russia’s full-fledged digital ID remains at the planning, legislative-drafting and pilot-testing stages.
In some cases the provision of passport data in electronic form has been equated to presenting the original and, in some instances, will carry the same legal weight as a paper document.
The digital passport project is under discussion. It would include QR codes with selective information (such as age verification). To obtain a digital passport, a citizen would submit biometric data (face, fingerprints) to authorised Interior Ministry bodies.
On 15 July the Chinese government launched digital IDs for online use, shifting responsibility for citizens’ online identification from private firms to the state.
Users provide personal information and scan their face for the police via an app. They can then log into apps and websites using a unique identifier.
The system also limits what internet services can learn about users: people can log in without exposing personal data, providing only a private string of characters.
In 2025 the Republic of Korea introduced a digital version of the Resident Registration Card (national ID) for all citizens and residents. The mobile credential replaces the physical card in several domains. It is delivered via an app and protected by advanced encryption and blockchain technology.
At first, the digital ID is used for identity proofing in banking and financial transactions, with wider use planned.
To obtain an eID, a citizen scans the chip in the plastic ID or registers at a local public centre for in-person proofing. Additional biometric verification helps prevent forgery. Notably, each digital ID is bound to a specific smartphone. If a device is lost, the credential can be deactivated promptly via the mobile operator.
The model resembles Switzerland’s, where the e-ID is also tied to a single device.
By end-2025 South Korea plans to standardise digital IDs internationally. Research institute ETRI has begun work on a global standard for digital identity wallets so multiple credentials (government IDs, driving licences, student cards, bank cards) can be stored and presented in a common format worldwide.
In 2025 Sri Lanka launched the Unique Digital Identity programme (SL-UDI). The digital ID, integrated with the eLocker mobile app, builds on the national biometric ID. Physical cards produced with Thales support will remain valid for a 3-5 year transition.
All biometric and personal data will be collected and stored under the Department for Registration of Persons with multi-layer encryption in transit and at rest.
Despite court challenges, authorities say that once fully localised (with all processes brought under state control) the digital ID will become central to service delivery. Particular emphasis is placed on the legal basis for data ownership — by law, data belongs to the state department to prevent unauthorised access.
India introduced Aadhaar in the 2010s, and over the past year it has gained fresh momentum. The service covers nearly 1.38bn people (97% of the population) and remains the world’s largest biometric ID system.
The government leans on Aadhaar for social programmes: by linking digital IDs to bank accounts, aid and subsidies go directly to beneficiaries with lower fraud risk. In January 2025 the system handled 2.84bn authentication transactions — up 32% year on year.
According to World Bank estimates, extreme poverty fell from 16.2% to 2.3% over a decade, in part thanks to the Aadhaar digital infrastructure. The service also identified and removed 58m fake recipients from food-ration lists.
Singapore’s Singpass digital identity system has long been in use and continues to improve.
It now provides access to 2,000+ services from public agencies and private firms. In 2023-2024 the government boosted safeguards, adding Face ID checks to higher-risk transactions (such as CPF pension operations), significantly reducing fraud. After a Sender ID registry was introduced to filter SMS scams, fake messages fell by 70% in three months.
Singpass combines an account, biometrics and multi-factor authentication for a wide range of services — from taxes and medical appointments to banking and e-commerce.
In April 2025 the state of Queensland introduced a Digital ID, replacing the QGov system. The new credential supports biometric authentication and passwordless passkeys. The aim is to simplify access to public services via a single app.
Federally, Australia is debating a Digital ID law to make government identifiers safe, voluntary and widely accepted nationwide. Similar regional moves are under way in New Zealand (the RealMe system) and Japan (the expanded MyNumber card, including driving-licence integration since 2024).
Malaysia has targeted completion of its digital-government ecosystem by 2024, with a national digital ID as a component.
Vietnam on 1 July 2024 enforced a digital-identity law requiring mandatory biometrics in national e-IDs. A new system using fingerprints and facial data is being built.
Indonesia and the Philippines are digitising their ID cards (e-KTP and PhilID) with mobile apps and QR codes complementing plastic cards.
Brazil, Latin America’s largest economy, deployed a national blockchain-based digital-identity programme in 2023. A presidential decree required all 27 states to join the system for issuing electronic IDs by 6 November 2023.
The pilot began in Rio de Janeiro, Goiás and Paraná, where IDs are issued via a platform built by the government IT service Serpro.
Serpro head Alexandre Amorim said blockchain’s decentralisation makes it an ideal foundation for the project, protecting personal data and preventing fraud.
Officials expect a unified digital ID to help fight organised crime, ease data-sharing between agencies, broaden access to services and clean up document administration.
Several years of preparatory work unified state databases across all 27 states, and the blockchain platform is meant to link the Federal Revenue Service with other bodies securely. Brazil has thus become one of the pioneers of national blockchain IDs.
In 2025 Canada focused less on a single ID and more on standards.
In August the Digital Governance Standards Institute (DGSI) approved the CAN/DGSI 103-0:2025 Code of Practice for Digital Identity. It sets principles for public bodies and businesses deploying digital IDs and trust policies, reflecting international approaches (European eIDAS, FATF recommendations, UNCITRAL principles).
The standard prioritises interoperability — important in Canada, where digital IDs are evolving at provincial level. Ontario, for example, is preparing its own Digital ID (a previously delayed project revived as a priority in 2024), while British Columbia has long used the BC Services Card for online access.
Canada is also experimenting with decentralised identifiers: several provinces and banks took part in the Verified.Me project based on Hyperledger technology.
The policy goal is a trusted ecosystem in which citizens can use multiple assurance systems (government, banking and others) aligned to common security and privacy standards.
The US has no single national e-ID, but states and the private sector are moving quickly.
More than 30 states have adopted or are testing mobile driving licences displayed in smartphone apps (Apple Wallet, Google Wallet or state apps). These digital licences conform to ISO/IEC 18013-5 for mobile IDs, enabling secure storage, offline verification and selective data sharing.
In 2023 Louisiana mandated age verification for adult websites via LA Wallet, triggering a 300% surge in new registrations within a day of the law taking effect. LA Wallet was also used to remotely identify 210,000 hurricane victims for aid disbursement without fraud.
Arizona, Colorado, Maryland, Georgia and others support loading licences into Apple Wallet, which are accepted, for example, at TSA checkpoints. In parallel, federal agencies have worked with private providers for online verification. ID.me, a digital-identity service, had enrolled 130m Americans by 2024, with 60m completing higher-assurance verification (IAL2).
ID.me maintains digital wallets holding verified credentials for authentication on government sites. Such solutions have sparked debate over privacy and exclusion of low-income people without smartphones. In response, the US government launched “better identity” initiatives, framing digital ID as key to fintech and Web3.
Following Brazil, Costa Rica in September 2025 rolled out a digital ID card (IDC-Ciudadano) as a full equivalent of the physical one. It is officially accepted as proof of identity by banks, telecoms, public bodies and businesses (the 2026 elections remain an exception, requiring originals). Banco de Costa Rica and several organisations already support e-ID, with others given time to adapt.
Citizens obtain the digital ID via online registration and an app, activating it through FaceID/photo verification.
Mexico has introduced a digital driving licence, for now only for commercial drivers working abroad — a QR code with a digital signature on a smartphone.
A broad digitisation wave is under way across Africa, supported by international donors (the ID4Africa initiative, the World Bank).
Nigeria has upgraded its platform for citizens abroad: from 2025 all diaspora centres are connected to a revamped system for issuing the National Identification Number (NIN). Overseas partners were trained, enabling faster online issuance/verification. By end-2026 the plan is to issue at least 59m new NINs.
Kenya in 2023 announced Maisha Namba, a digital ID scheme with lifelong personal numbers and biometric credentials. After two months of testing, President William Samoei arap Ruto confirmed the rollout to all who wish to obtain it by end-2023.
Maisha Namba will serve as a cradle-to-grave identifier, enabling access to public services, bank accounts and travel, with identification via fingerprint or iris through a digital profile.
Southern Africa is planning cross-border identity integration. In September 2025 the SADC Committee of Central Banks and the Co-Develop foundation announced Africa’s first regional digital-identity infrastructure for 16 SADC countries. The goal is a federated e-KYC system to let banks and fintechs verify customers across borders via a compatible digital ID platform.
The project aims to simplify cross-border payments, boost financial inclusion and avoid duplication of national ID systems.
It forms part of the global “50-in-50” campaign to build secure, shared digital infrastructure across the Global South.
Saudi Arabia stands out: via the Absher app it offers a digital ID, and by end-2024 more than 28m citizens had used it to access services.
The UAE has since 2018 operated UAE Pass, a unified digital identity for citizens, residents and even guests. It provides sign-on to public portals and many private services, digital signatures and certificate requests. Registration uses an Emirates ID scan and facial recognition, or kiosks with fingerprint biometrics.
The UAE pitches UAE Pass as the backbone of smart government. By 2025 virtually all public services are accessible through it. Qatar, Bahrain, Oman and other Gulf states are building similar IDs (often tied to SIM cards or biometric apps).
In February 2025 Etihad Credit Insurance — the UAE’s federal export credit company — joined the KYC Blockchain platform, the first insurer to do so.
The system streamlines KYC across firms and public agencies. Blockchain enables secure exchange and verification of client data without oversharing. The platform is already in use and expanding.
UAE Verify is a government blockchain platform for verifying digital documents. It lets private and public organisations confirm the authenticity of government-issued documents using an immutable distributed ledger.
The platform supports IDs, certificates, licences and other official documents. It is already operational and used by many ministries as part of the “paperless government” strategy.
Digital IDs are convenient, but they also expand the capacity to monitor citizens. As noted, Pavel Durov:
“Countries that were once free are introducing dystopian measures such as digital IDs (the UK), online age verification (Australia) and mass scanning of private messages (the EU).
Germany persecutes anyone who dares to criticise officials on the Internet. The UK jails thousands of people for their tweets. France launches criminal investigations against tech leaders who defend freedom and privacy.
A dark, dystopian world is approaching fast — while we sleep. Our generation risks going down in history as the last to have freedoms — and to have allowed them to be taken away.”
In Canada, 2.9m people signed a petition against introducing digital passports.
Critics liken the plan to the worlds of George Orwell and other dystopias. The Daily Mail called the UK policy “East German” and “despotic”.
“[Adoption of the initiative] would be a step toward mass surveillance and digital control; no one should be forced to register in a state identity system,” the petition’s authors said.
Elsewhere, similar concerns are voiced that such initiatives could deepen state control. There is a risk of systems becoming tools of blanket surveillance. In China, for instance, police could build lists of every website and app each person uses. Data from digital IDs could also be plugged into a more comprehensive online monitoring regime.
Kenya’s Supreme Court temporarily halted the rollout of Maisha ID after lawsuits by activists citing the lack of a data-protection framework and the risk of excluding people without access to technology.
Even so, the government insists the new eID is needed, highlighting benefits for e-commerce, banking and anti-fraud efforts.
Beyond surveillance, data governance remains unresolved. Officials might be tempted to sell valuable personal information.
External attacks are another risk. In 2022 a hacker stole 1bn personal records from Shanghai police by breaching an unprotected database.
Foreign involvement can also be contentious. In Sri Lanka the project is funded by an Indian grant, prompting petitions to the Supreme Court to suspend SL-UDI over alleged data-sovereignty and national-security risks and financial law concerns.
Some of these issues may be mitigated by blockchain’s properties — transparency, resilience and integrity. Yet few countries are building Digital ID on distributed ledgers.
In October Bhutan announced the migration of its National Digital Identity (NDI) from Polygon to Ethereum, citing stronger data security.
NDI uses self-sovereign identity technology. It allows nearly 800,000 residents to store and present digital credentials to access online services.
Used judiciously, blockchain can bolster trust, security and convenience in Digital ID — but it demands careful regulation, privacy safeguards and inclusivity so the technology serves people rather than creating new barriers.
