Iraq Issues 40 Million Electronic ID Cards in Major Digital Identity Milestone

Iraq has reached a significant milestone in its digital transformation journey, with over 40 million electronic identification (eID) cards issued to citizens through a partnership with Berlin-based identity solutions provider Veridos, which has been expanding its presence in national identity programs across multiple regions.

The initiative, which began in 2013, established a centralized electronic national civil register in collaboration with the Iraqi government. The system now operates through more than 320 local registration offices across the country, where citizens can apply for and receive their electronic identification cards. The cards incorporate security features including biometric data storage and encrypted chips similar to those used in Veridos’s other national ID implementations.

Since the first eID was issued in 2015, the program has demonstrated steady growth. Within its first year of operation, the system successfully distributed over one million cards. By 2020, that number had increased to more than 18 million, before reaching the current milestone of 40 million cards in 2025.

As part of the modernization effort, approximately 95 percent of family books have been digitized, creating a secure digital archive of citizen records. The system maintains a comprehensive electronic national database that securely stores biometric data for identity verification purposes. This digitization effort represents one of the largest such programs in the Middle East, with the database incorporating multiple biometric identifiers and demographic information to ensure robust identity verification.

The success of Iraq’s eID program demonstrates the growing trend toward comprehensive digital identity systems in the Middle East region, where several countries are implementing similar initiatives to modernize their civil registration and identity management infrastructure. The system’s architecture includes built-in scalability to accommodate future population growth and additional digital government services.

Source: Iraqi News

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January 29, 2025 – by the ID Tech Editorial Team