Estonian ID card
Encyclopedia
The Estonian identity card is a chipped picture ID issued in the Republic of Estonia
by the Citizenship and Migration Board
of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. It is officially a primary-picture ID in Estonia
, and is therefore recognised by all member states of the European Union
or the Schengen Area
and some other European countries such as Macedonia , as an official travel document
. For travel outside the EU, Estonian citizens require an Estonian passport
instead. All Estonian citizens and permanent residents are legally obliged to possess such a card from the age of 15.
, and cryptographic keys and public key certificate
s.
Under Estonian law, since 15 December 2000 the cryptographic signature is legally equivalent to a manual signature
.
infrastructure has made it a convenient means of identification for use of web-based government services in Estonia (see e-Government). All major banks, many financial and other web services support ID-card based authentication.
, used to support ID-card based authentication for comments. This approach caused some controversy in the internet community.
and Tartu
, have arrangements making it possible for residents to purchase "virtual" transportation tickets linked to their ID cards.
Period tickets can be bought online via electronic bank transfer, by SMS
, or at public kiosks. This process usually takes less than a few minutes and the ticket is instantly active from the moment of purchase.
Customers also have the option of requesting e-mail or SMS notification alerting them when the ticket is about to expire, or of setting up automatic renewal through internet banking services.
To use the virtual ticket, customers must carry their ID card with them whenever they use public transport. During a routine ticket check, users are asked to present their ID card, which is then inserted into a special device. This device then confirms that the user holds a valid ticket, and also warns if the ticket is about to expire. The ticket check usually takes less than a second.
Ticket information is stored in a central database, not on the ID card itself. Thus, to order a ticket, it is not necessary to have an ID-card reader. Ticket controllers have access to a local archive of the master database. If the ticket was purchased after the local archive was updated, the ticket device is able to confirm the ticket from the master database over GSM data link.
programme.
In February 2007, Estonia was the first country in the world to institute electronic voting for parliamentary elections. Over 30 000 voters participated in the country's e-election.
The software used in this process is available for Microsoft Windows
, Mac OS X
and Linux
.
since 2004, Estonian citizens who possess an Estonian identity card are able to use that as a travel document within the EU, to Iceland, Macedonia , Norway, Switzerland and Croatia instead of a passport. However, non-Estonian citizens who hold an Estonian identity card are not able to use it as a travel document outside of Estonia within the EU. Since 3 September 2007, newly issued ID cards to EU/EEA citizens allow them travelling inside the Schengen area.
Estonia
Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies...
by the Citizenship and Migration Board
Citizenship and Migration Board (Estonia)
The Citizenship and Migration Board is a government agency in Estonia under the Ministry of Internal Affairs that is in charge of enforcing regulations concerning immigration and nationality.-Issuance of travel documents:...
of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. It is officially a primary-picture ID in Estonia
Estonia
Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies...
, and is therefore recognised by all member states of the European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
or the Schengen Area
Schengen Agreement
The Schengen Agreement is a treaty signed on 14 June 1985 near the town of Schengen in Luxembourg, between five of the ten member states of the European Economic Community. It was supplemented by the Convention implementing the Schengen Agreement 5 years later...
and some other European countries such as Macedonia , as an official travel document
Travel document
A travel document is an identity document issued by a government or international treaty organization to facilitate the movement of individuals or small groups of persons across international boundaries...
. For travel outside the EU, Estonian citizens require an Estonian passport
Estonian passport
An Estonian Passport is an identity document as well as a travel document of an Estonian citizen issued by the Citizenship and Migration Board of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in Estonia and by Estonian foreign representations abroad.-Physical Appearance:...
instead. All Estonian citizens and permanent residents are legally obliged to possess such a card from the age of 15.
Stored data
The chip stores digitised data about the authorised user, most importantly: the user's full name, gender, national identification numberNational identification number
A national identification number, national identity number, or national insurance number is used by the governments of many countries as a means of tracking their citizens, permanent residents, and temporary residents for the purposes of work, taxation, government benefits, health care, and other...
, and cryptographic keys and public key certificate
Public key certificate
In cryptography, a public key certificate is an electronic document which uses a digital signature to bind a public key with an identity — information such as the name of a person or an organization, their address, and so forth...
s.
Cryptographic use
The card's chip stores a key pair, allowing users to cryptographically sign digital documents based on principles of public key cryptography using DigiDoc. While it is possible also to encrypt documents using the card-holder's public key, this is used only infrequently, as such documents would become unreadable if the card were lost or destroyed.Under Estonian law, since 15 December 2000 the cryptographic signature is legally equivalent to a manual signature
Signature
A signature is a handwritten depiction of someone's name, nickname, or even a simple "X" that a person writes on documents as a proof of identity and intent. The writer of a signature is a signatory. Similar to a handwritten signature, a signature work describes the work as readily identifying...
.
Uses for identification
The card's compatibility with standard X.509X.509
In cryptography, X.509 is an ITU-T standard for a public key infrastructure and Privilege Management Infrastructure . X.509 specifies, amongst other things, standard formats for public key certificates, certificate revocation lists, attribute certificates, and a certification path validation...
infrastructure has made it a convenient means of identification for use of web-based government services in Estonia (see e-Government). All major banks, many financial and other web services support ID-card based authentication.
Web discussion forums
Web commentary columns of some Estonian newspapers, most notably Eesti PäevalehtEesti Päevaleht
Eesti Päevaleht is a major daily Estonian newspaper, from the same publishers as the weekly Eesti Ekspress. It has a daily circulation of around 36,000....
, used to support ID-card based authentication for comments. This approach caused some controversy in the internet community.
Public transport
Larger cities in Estonia, such as TallinnTallinn
Tallinn is the capital and largest city of Estonia. It occupies an area of with a population of 414,940. It is situated on the northern coast of the country, on the banks of the Gulf of Finland, south of Helsinki, east of Stockholm and west of Saint Petersburg. Tallinn's Old Town is in the list...
and Tartu
Tartu
Tartu is the second largest city of Estonia. In contrast to Estonia's political and financial capital Tallinn, Tartu is often considered the intellectual and cultural hub, especially since it is home to Estonia's oldest and most renowned university. Situated 186 km southeast of Tallinn, the...
, have arrangements making it possible for residents to purchase "virtual" transportation tickets linked to their ID cards.
Period tickets can be bought online via electronic bank transfer, by SMS
SMS
SMS is a form of text messaging communication on phones and mobile phones. The terms SMS or sms may also refer to:- Computer hardware :...
, or at public kiosks. This process usually takes less than a few minutes and the ticket is instantly active from the moment of purchase.
Customers also have the option of requesting e-mail or SMS notification alerting them when the ticket is about to expire, or of setting up automatic renewal through internet banking services.
To use the virtual ticket, customers must carry their ID card with them whenever they use public transport. During a routine ticket check, users are asked to present their ID card, which is then inserted into a special device. This device then confirms that the user holds a valid ticket, and also warns if the ticket is about to expire. The ticket check usually takes less than a second.
Ticket information is stored in a central database, not on the ID card itself. Thus, to order a ticket, it is not necessary to have an ID-card reader. Ticket controllers have access to a local archive of the master database. If the ticket was purchased after the local archive was updated, the ticket device is able to confirm the ticket from the master database over GSM data link.
Electronic voting
The Estonian ID card is also used for authentication in Estonia's ambitious Internet-based votingElectronic voting in Estonia
The idea of having electronic voting in Estonia gained popularity in 2001 with the "e-minded" coalition government. Estonia became the first nation to hold legally binding general elections over the Internet with their pilot project for the municipal elections in 2005.The electronic voting system...
programme.
In February 2007, Estonia was the first country in the world to institute electronic voting for parliamentary elections. Over 30 000 voters participated in the country's e-election.
The software used in this process is available for Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
, Mac OS X
Mac OS X
Mac OS X is a series of Unix-based operating systems and graphical user interfaces developed, marketed, and sold by Apple Inc. Since 2002, has been included with all new Macintosh computer systems...
and Linux
Linux
Linux is a Unix-like computer operating system assembled under the model of free and open source software development and distribution. The defining component of any Linux system is the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released October 5, 1991 by Linus Torvalds...
.
Use as a travel document
Since Estonia's accession to the European UnionEuropean Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
since 2004, Estonian citizens who possess an Estonian identity card are able to use that as a travel document within the EU, to Iceland, Macedonia , Norway, Switzerland and Croatia instead of a passport. However, non-Estonian citizens who hold an Estonian identity card are not able to use it as a travel document outside of Estonia within the EU. Since 3 September 2007, newly issued ID cards to EU/EEA citizens allow them travelling inside the Schengen area.