“Goodbye” to the physical ID card, Albanians move to a digital wallet

In EU countries, citizens have a digital wallet on their mobile phones that replaces the ID card and other state-recognized documents. As a country negotiating EU membership, Albania has also begun taking its first steps to gradually align with these standards.

For the first time in Albania, citizens will be able to identify themselves remotely, without being physically present, through a “digital wallet.”

In practice, through this digital wallet, you can apply for a document, sign a contract, receive a banking service by identifying yourself through the “wallet,” or even sign a loan online, without the need to go to counters with a physical ID card.

This government draft law “On Electronic Identification, Trusted Services and the Digital Wallet” was presented to the Economy Committee this Monday.

“The creation and operation of the digital identity wallet is precisely one of the innovations which will give citizens and all applicants the opportunity to carry out processes directly from their phones, from their electronic devices, enabling remote identification,” said Deputy Minister of Infrastructure Enkelejda Muça.

This “application,” which contains sensitive data, will not be mandatory for citizens.

“The use of the wallet is entirely voluntary for citizens, it is not mandatory,” said the director of NAIS.

This “digital wallet” service will not be provided only by NAIS.

“We are required to have at least one provider, currently NAIS, but this does not prevent other providers from applying, getting certified, and offering digital wallet services. At the moment, only NAIS meets the criteria to provide trusted services. There has been no interest from other operators, and in cases where there has been interest, they have not met the criteria required by law to be certified. In the future, if there are operators or requests, they can submit documentation to the National Cyber Security Authority to be certified,” explained Bledar Kazia, director of NAIS.

If a private operator is certified to provide the digital wallet service, it will fall under the responsibility of the National Cyber Security Agency to protect it from cyberattacks.

“The moment a provider is certified to offer digital wallet services, it automatically becomes critical infrastructure and is subject to the cybersecurity law,” Kazia stated.

The goal is that by 2027, the digital identity wallet will be fully integrated into the European digital identity ecosystem, allowing Albanian citizens to use their identity with high standards of security and privacy according to EU standards for all public and private services.

The financial cost for a 10-year period to build and maintain the new systems is estimated at around 703 million lek (including VAT).

With the entry into force of this draft law, two current laws will be repealed: the law on electronic identification and trusted services, the law on electronic signatures, and all related bylaws.

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