Since 2002, the state has issued 1.6 million of the chip-enabled picture documents. Currently, 1.2 million people possess a valid ID card, according to the Police and Border Guard Board. Of those, 85 percent are citizens and the remainder are foreign residents.

Besides being the primary picture identification document in Estonia, the ID card can be used to access internet-based services and sign electronic documents. Over 72.6 million digital signatures have been made using the card over the past decade.

According to Kalev Pihl, head of the Certification Center, which is the digital document's issuing partner, the ID card concept has been successful not only in Estonia but also elsewhere in the world. "Although the success story has not come easy, the usefulness of the ID card has been factually proven," said Pihl.

Ingrid Teesalu