Nepal initiates digital identity at birth with biometric smart ID cards

Nepal is taking a significant step in digital identity, issuing digital numbers to individuals starting at birth or shortly after. The government’s move involves transitioning from traditional citizenship certificates to biometric intelligent national ID cards, incorporating essential details such as photos, personal information, and fingerprint biometrics.

Over the past two months, the Department of National ID and Civil Registration has been informally assigning national ID numbers to individuals during the birth registration process, averaging around 2,000 people daily.

The primary objective behind assigning unique national identity numbers at birth is to streamline access to government documents, including biometric national ID cards.

The department has accelerated the printing and distribution, delivering 1.8 million out of 3 million printed cards to district offices, and the distribution campaign aims to expedite the dissemination of digital ID cards following the enrollment of 14.1 million people in the national database.

While the government intends to eventually make the national digital ID cards mandatory, for now, citizenship certificates are still required for certain purposes such as applying for driver’s licences, taking Public Service Commission exams, and obtaining other important documents.

Furthermore, it is important to note that in addition to the national ID cards, Nepal also offers biometric passports with the support of Idemia, a leading global enterprise in identity technology.