Pilot project: Romania starts issuing eID cards

Romania can start issuing electronic ID cards as part of a pilot project rolled out in Cluj-Napoca, in the western part of the country.

The new ID cards are to replace the current ones by August 2031.

The country was compelled to issue eID cards beginning August 2, in accordance with EU Parliament and Council regulations concerning the security of EU citizens’ ID cards and residence documents, the Interior Affairs Ministry (MAI) explained.

The first requests for the electronic ID cards could be filed on August 2. The authorities expect to issue some 5,000 eID cards this year, Hotnews.ro reported.

The chip-based eID card is the size of a bank card and includes safety features meant to offer the holder additional protection and prevent identity theft situations. It grants holders access to national and European services and “ensures the needed technical support for the use of the electronic signature, which will aid in reducing bureaucracy in the relation between citizens and public authorities,” MAI said. It incorporates the functionalities of the health card and facilitates access to e-government services, Interior Affairs minister Lucian Bode explained.

Children can receive the new electronic ID card regardless of their age. The current ID cards are issued to children when they turn 14.

The cost for the issuing of the new card is EUR 14 (RON 70). It takes a minimum of ten days to produce the card, to which the transport period is added as these are produced in Bucharest, Bode explained.

The pilot project will have two phases. “We are talking about two phases. In the first phase, which we estimate will last five, six months, the first electronic identity card will be issued, and eID cards will be gradually introduced to those aged between 14 and 18 and children up to 14 years. In this phase, we will test how the electronic ID card is used and how the infrastructure meets the technical requirements,” Bode said, quoted by News.ro.

In the second phase, the authorities will increase the capacity to issue eID cards to evaluate the production needs “in order to know how much we need to expand production to have everything ready when we start issuing the eID cards at a national level. To implement both phases, 200,000 chips are currently available,” the minister said.