The official rollout of the electronic wallet begins this Thursday, meaning citizens will be able to store their national ID cards and driver’s licenses on their mobile phones.
The application will be officially unveiled on Wednesday, October 28. Macedonian Minister of Digital Transformation Stefan Andonovski says the application is secure and offers robust protection for personal data.
“Users will not be required to reveal all their personal information, unlike the current practice of presenting physical ID cards or driver’s licenses. For instance, when you need to verify your identity at a bank, a bar, or another establishment, you won’t have to display every detail from your ID card. Instead, you can selectively choose which information to share, all in a secure manner. Data is shared via a QR code generated for one-time use. Once the code is scanned, the other party receives the information only if you explicitly authorize it. After 10 to 15 seconds, the QR code expires and cannot be used again. We have placed a great deal of emphasis on security,” said Andonovski. This, the minister says, is the beginning of a process that should lead us to the European Digital Wallet, which will entail the complete digitization of documents.
“This is the beginning of a process that should lead us to the European Digital Wallet, which will entail the complete digitization of documents. This is an excellent start, as basic data from identity cards and driver’s licenses will be made available to citizens. I hope that, in parallel with the development of the mobile wallet, we will add new services, features, and documents for citizens,” stated Andonovski on Monday ahead of the panel discussion “Prerequisites and Challenges for Accelerated Digitization of the Private Sector” held at the INOFEIT EDIH premises in Skopje.