Estonia’s Police and Border Guard Board has begun issuing a new generation of electronic identity cards developed in partnership with Thales, featuring stronger physical security and remotely updatable software designed to address evolving cybersecurity threats.
The new cards were developed under an eight-year contract with Thales covering the full lifecycle of Estonia’s national identity documents, from issuance to personalization, for residents, citizens, and specific groups such as diplomats and refugees.
Built on translucent polycarbonate with transparent edges, the cards incorporate multiple optical security features intended to make them instantly recognizable, easy to verify, and resistant to tampering or counterfeiting. Thales says the card design uses advanced security techniques that go beyond standard European requirements.
A key feature of the new eID is its upgradeable software architecture. If new cybersecurity risks emerge after cards have been issued, Estonian authorities can remotely update the cards’ security protocols without requiring physical replacement. Thales says this approach ensures citizens’ digital transactions remain protected over time as the threat landscape evolves.
The cards comply with eIDAS standards and support Estonia’s broader digital governance infrastructure. Estonia, which launched the Eesti.ee mobile app to bring government services and digital ID to smartphones, has long been considered a global leader in e-governance. The national ID card serves as the backbone of that ecosystem, enabling citizens to access more than 2,500 digital government services.
The new-generation card has been awarded “Best New National eID Card” at the High Security Printing EMEA conference in Morocco, recognizing its design and security innovations.
Estonia was also among the first EU member states to launch the bloc’s biometric Entry/Exit System in October 2025 and has been developing a multimodal biometric enrollment app for its e-residency program.
Thales provides digital identity and security solutions to governments and enterprises in more than 70 countries.
Sources: Business Wire, The Quantum Insider
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By the ID Tech Editorial Team
