Jordan's ID gets recognition.
Jordan has chosen Thales for its ambitious identification program and the issuance of an ultra-modern national eID card.
In early 2018, The Civil Status and Passports Department (CSPD) announced that 3 million new National ID cards had been issued since June 2016.
On 20 February 2018, the project received the Best Regional ID Award at the High-Security Printing EMEA conference in Warsaw, reflecting best practices in security design and innovation in digital development.
3 top priorities for the new national ID card
The priorities of the Kingdom are clear:
- Improve security,
- Combat identity fraud,
- Create a reliable online infrastructure for access to future e-Government services.
Jordan's new electronic ID card will reinforce the infrastructure required for digital signature and make it possible to introduce new online paperless services.
The new Jordan ID card, a credit card format, is issued to citizens over 18. It replaces the old civil identification documents and integrates more information about the holder. However, some data are only stored in the card's electronic microprocessor and won't appear printed on the ID card.
The smart identity card includes 18 data fields, such as gender, name in Arabic and English, place of birth, area of residence, and blood type.
Petra is the symbol of Jordan: World Heritage and one of the 7 Wonders of the World.
It's represented at the very center of the card. The word JORDAN appears in the country's coat of arms when tilted. This design is laser-engraved on the surface of the polycarbonate document. It's easy to see and check the authenticity of the ID card. It is tough to reproduce.
There's more.
Other fields, such as driver's license data, health insurance type, religion, social security number, fingerprints, and the citizen's electronic signature, are reserved for later usage.
Jordan has removed the printed mention of religion from its new national identity card.
In the long term, thanks to the three functions of identification, authentication, and signature, this new ID card offers many possible applications.
The back of the card has a very sophisticated design and uses metallic ink. Under UV light, the three letters JOR appear in light blue ink.
Easier identification
Every year, citizens must complete many administrative formalities that always involve some identification phase:
- Officials must verify the identity of the claimant,
- They must transcribe or encode the data,
- The claimant must sign their request.
Thanks to the new ID card, these operations can now be carried out in seconds.
Applications are numerous in local administrations, police stations, post offices or banks, for the social sector, vehicle rental services, transport, healthcare, and hospitals.
The benefits are related to time savings. ID operations are carried out much faster and more efficiently, even at physical counters. The visual control takes place for physical controls as with a traditional card, and a customs official can also check the photo stored on the microprocessor.
The new government-issued ID card will offer quality and uniformity of information gathered with significantly fewer input errors. Last, the unknown citizen card can slash the amount of paper used and filed.
From national ID to national eID
The applications take place remotely for online access control and therefore require a computer, a card, and an Internet connection.
Just like physical access control, filtering access to certain Internet sites, applications, and databases is essential. The benefits are simplification and ease of use with a reduction in the number of means of identification, increased Internet security, and better protection for minors.
What's the story here?
The authentication side of e-ID is probably where the most exciting possibilities lie.
Indeed, electronic signatures can revolutionize citizens' lives.
All the official acts to which citizens put their written signatures today can now be authenticated and signed electronically.
Applications are numerous:
- From online fiscal,
- VAT and police declarations,
- the remote signature of contracts,
- remote legal proceedings (remote witness testimony, remote access of judgments, etc.),
- secure e-commerce (online purchase of tickets for sporting events, public sales, etc.),
- professional cards (lawyers, notaries, etc.).
Citizens no longer have to travel and can save a lot on travel and postage costs with services available round-the-clock wherever they are.
A modernized national ID Infrastructure in place
Thales is supplying its polycarbonate contactless eID cards and a comprehensive suite of enrollment, card personalization, and issuance solutions for the reliable management of all processes.
We also supply the Thales Cogent Automated Fingerprint Identification Systems (AFIS) necessary for this project to guarantee that the principle of one identity-one person is maintained.
The enrollment system is being deployed in 100 civil registry and passport offices, enabling MOI staff to capture citizens' personal and biometric data for duplication-free entry into the National Registry.
Thales's issuance solution is implemented to personalize and issue smart ID cards at 25 dedicated centers and complete the secure ID solution in the Kingdom. The citizen's details are laser-engraved in the card and stored in the microprocessor to enable officials to verify the holder's identity.
The new electronic identity card combines state-of-the-art digital and graphical security features and seamlessly allows the Jordanian government to add new applications after issuance. As a result, it can leverage on initial investment and develop new secure eGov services and applications at its own pace.
Secure ID solutions to transform the public sector
Through its Government Programs division and solutions, Thales assists and advises its public and governmental partners in transforming their organizations and processes.
Thales supports countries that wish to modernize and have opted to move into the digital age for their people's well-being, socio-economic competitiveness, and security.