Thais can apply for a digital ID next week

Thai nationals using public services provided by government agencies will be able to apply for a digital ID card next Tuesday, January 10.

Deputy government spokesperson Traisuree Taisaranakul announced the digital ID will apply to agencies under the Internal Affairs Ministry first and then expanded to other government and private agencies, such as commercial banks.

The policy will primarily focus on using digital identification (digital ID) in place of physical documents, in accordance with Section 14 of the Digital Public Service Act, Bangkok Post reported.

“People wanting to use any public service are required to register using their actual ID cards with their district office’s registry division to get access to D.Dopa, the mobile application developed for the Department of Provincial Administration.

“To complete registration, they will be required to accept the terms and conditions, scan a QR code for a two-factor authentication setting, and fill out a Personal Data Protection Act consent form.”

“We will open for online registration later when the system is stable.

“The Department of Provincial Administration has sent a notification regarding Section 14 to every provincial office and the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration telling their officials cannot deny someone services when presented with an electronic ID.”

The Ministry of Digital Economy and Society (DES) stated that digital ID will be safer than using the smart ID card, as stealing data will be more difficult.

The Electronic Transactions Development Agency (ETDA), under the DES, has established a framework for the implementation of digital ID cards in the first phase of the project, which will run from 2022 to 2024. The goal of this initiative is to encourage the use of digital IDs.

According to the DES, it is expected that at least 10 million people will replace their physical identification cards with digital versions this year.

The government hopes to stamp out the illegal issuing of Thai ID cards with the new initiative.