moving toward cardless e-Residency with biometric mobile app 

The mobile app will speed up the e-⁠Residency application process and lay the groundwork for eventually replacing physical cards  

X Infotech, a Latvian software provider, has won a public procurement for creating a technical solution for collecting e-residents’ biometric data via mobile devices, the Estonian Ministry of the Interior's Information Technology and Development Centre (SMIT) has announced.

The solution will enable e-Residency applicants to verify their identity easily and securely via a smartphone application. Submitting biometric data through a mobile app will make the e-⁠Residency application process faster and more convenient. It serves as a prerequisite for eventually replacing the current physical, card-based e-⁠resident digital identity document entirely with a mobile solution. 

The mobile app will comply with the European Union’s eIDAS regulation and its stringent security requirements, ensuring that the e-resident digital ID remains suitable for secure authentication and for providing electronic signatures with legal equivalence to handwritten signatures.

Trailblazing a new digital ID solution

According to Kaija Kirch, Head of the Identity Services Department at SMIT, the procurement process was complex and time-consuming. "As we were procuring such a solution for the first time, we used a competitive dialogue to identify the most suitable provider," she said. 

"The competitive dialogue allowed us to negotiate with bidders and test demo applications developed by them against the requirements we had set. What makes the procured service unique is that document authenticity and validity checks, photo capture, and fingerprint collection must all work together within a single service. Individually, these components are already used in many private-sector services, but none of them comply with the requirements of the eIDAS regulation," Kirch noted.

Anita Preinvalts, Senior Superintendent of the Identity and Status Bureau of the Police and Border Guard Board (PBGB), confirmed that submitting biometric data via a mobile application is initially planned to be piloted with e-⁠Residency applicants. 

"If, after using the application for some time, we can be confident in its functionality and quality, we will be able to move towards fully contactless biometric data collection. This means that e-residents will no longer need to visit an Estonian embassy to have their biometrics captured. In the longer term, we will be able to extend this solution to applicants for other identity documents as well," Preinvalts said. 

She added that even after moving to contactless remote identification, all e-⁠Residency applicants will continue to undergo thorough background checks, and the PBGB will retain the option to meet applicants face-to-face when necessary, either by inviting them to an Estonian foreign mission or by interviewing them via video.

Making entrepreneurship 100% digital 

Liina Vahtras, Managing Director of the e-⁠Residency Programme and Member of the Management Board of Enterprise Estonia, said that the development of the application marks the first step towards launching a fully cardless e-⁠Residency solution. The move is expected to strengthen Estonia’s competitive edge as a digitally advanced business hub and increase state revenue.

"Already today, every euro invested in the programme returns up to ten euros to the state budget. We estimate that launching cardless e-⁠Residency will increase the rate at which e-⁠residents establish Estonian companies by at least 20%, which would generate an additional €3–9 million in tax revenue per year for the state,” continues Vahtras.

Einars Leps, Sales Director at X Infotech, said that the company values the trust placed in it to deliver a solution of national importance. “This project represents a new generation of biometric solutions, where advanced algorithms and mobile technology redefine how users can securely prove their identity from anywhere in the world. We are proud that Estonia, a global leader in digital innovation, has chosen X Infotech to deliver such a forward-thinking solution,” he said.

Until the release of the biometric app, e-Residency applicants can pick up their cards at over 50 locations worldwide.