Ministry to activate digital IDs in coming days — Hanandeh

AMMAN — The activation of digital IDs for citizens will commence in the coming days, Minister of Digital Economy and Entrepreneurship Ahmad Hanandeh said on Tuesday.

Hanandeh told the Jordan News Agency, Petra, that ministry’s employees are in the final phases of activating the IDs. 

The minister noted that activating digital IDs requires citizens to visit the ministry once, pointing out that this ID is the “cornerstone” for providing e-services to citizens.

Several ministry partners have held discussions, such as telecommunication companies and banks, about activating IDs to facilitate procedures for citizens, he added. 

Activating the IDs will be gradual and according to citizens’ needs; citizens will be asked to activate certain services when they need them, Hanandeh said. He noted that the ministry will cooperate with public departments to accredit e-documents, which will allow citizens to keep official documents on their mobile phones.

Once citizens activate their digital IDs, their e-signatures will also be activated and accredited for transactions that allow e-signatures, the minister said. He pointed out that there will be a digital certificate to replace the personal signature in a way that guarantees a person can use their digital ID to sign certain documents. 

He noted that this e-signature can be used for government transactions and the private sector can connect with the government’s e-signature database.

As for the possibility of losing digital IDs, Hanandeh said that it is impossible to lose them because they are based on a username and password. He stressed that there are several stages to verify the digital ID.