Jordan’s Sanad digital ID now has full legal equivalence to the physical national ID card after the amended Civil Status Law of 2026 was published in the Official Gazette. The change gives digital IDs issued through applications approved by the Ministry of Digital Economy and Entrepreneurship the same legal validity as physical civil status cards for procedures and transactions covered by Jordanian law.
The House of Representatives approved the amendments by majority vote on April 13 following deliberations by parliament’s Legal Committee. The legislation requires both public bodies and private sector entities to recognize the digital identity card in formal transactions, extending acceptance beyond government portals to areas such as banking, telecommunications and other regulated services.
The law defines digital ID as the electronic version of the national ID card with full legal standing, and restricts issuance of digital ID credentials to ministry-approved platforms. Activation of Sanad remains voluntary for individual citizens; the mandate applies to entities on the receiving side, which must accept the credential when presented.
The Sanad app uses iris biometric technology supplied by IrisGuard and currently provides access to more than 500 online public services, representing approximately 80 percent of Jordan’s total government service catalog. The Ministry of Digital Economy and Entrepreneurship said more than 2.6 million citizens have activated digital IDs through Sanad, including more than 600,000 new activations since the beginning of 2026. The legislation builds on the Central Bank of Jordan’s approval of Sanad for identity verification across licensed banks, which extended the app’s recognized use in the financial sector ahead of the broader statutory mandate.
A January 2026 app update introduced in-app iris biometric activation without requiring a visit to a physical service station, expanding the app’s reach before the parliamentary vote. The legislative process followed the stage in which Jordan’s cabinet approved amendments granting Sanad formal legal standing equal to the physical national ID card. Jordan had already extended recognized uses of the app to include digital ID acceptance at polling stations.
The amended law also introduces address-registration requirements for Jordanians aged 18 and older, covering residential and digital mailing addresses used for formal notifications. It is part of Jordan’s wider public-sector digitization program, which is aimed at moving more civil-status and government services into authenticated digital channels.
Sources: Jordan Times, Petra
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By the ID Tech Editorial Team
