site.btaGovernment Proposes Legal Amendments to Allow Introduction of Chipped IDs

Government Proposes Legal Amendments to Allow Introduction of Chipped IDs

Sofia, April 20 (BTA) - The government approved revisions to the Bulgarian Personal Documents Act which provide for the introduction of chipped IDs for electronic identification with personal information and e-signature, the government press office said Wednesday. It added that the bill of amendments which will be proposed to Parliament, is systemically connected with the legislation for electronic identification and is consistent with the best practices of the EU member states.

The revisions do not require of Bulgarian citizens to take out a chipped ID as soon as the revisions take effect: they will be able to do so when their current ID expires.

According to Interior Ministry statistics, some 600,000 new IDs are issued every year as on some years the number may rise to 1.6 million.

The proposed revisions allow the ID holder to opt for having in his chipped ID a secure segment with biometric information as per the recommendations of the International Civil Aviation Organization.

The ID holder also has the option to not have the electronic identification features on his ID, as he or she will have to declare that expressly. This aims to make sure that a significant number of Bulgarians take out a chipped ID and thus enhance the development of an electronic government and the access to electronic administrative services.

As an additional measure to achieve wide-scale use of electronic identification, the bill provides for its use in international passports. The authors of the bill expect this option to be used mainly by Bulgarian citizens living or staying temporarily abroad.

The bill of amendments broadens the opportunities for electronic application for documents.

The proposed revisions are set to become effective from the start of 2018 when the Interior Ministry will have technical resources to start issuing chipped IDs.
/СН/