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 have already 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 both 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, the format of a credit card, 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, the 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 centre of the card. When tilted, the word JORDAN appears in the country's coat of arms. 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 are reserved for later usages such as driver's license data, health insurance type, religion, social security number, fingerprints, the citizen's electronic signature and more.
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 in particular. Under UV light the three letters JOR appears in light blue ink.
Easier identification
Every year, citizens must complete many administrative formalities that always involve some kind of 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 a matter of seconds.
Applications are numerous in local administrations, in police stations, at post offices or banks, for the social sector, for vehicle rental services, transports, healthcare, and hospitals.
The benefits are related to time savings. ID operations are carried out much faster and more efficiently, even at physical counters. For physical controls, the visual control takes place 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 the benefit of significantly fewer input errors. Last but not least, the new citizen card can slash the amount of paper used and filed.
From national ID to national eID
For online access control, the applications take place remotely and therefore require a computer, a card, and an Internet connection.
Just like with physical access control, it is essential to be able to filter access to certain Internet sites, applications, and databases. 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, the electronic signature can revolutionize citizens' lives.
All of the different 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 costs, postage costs with services that are available round-the-clock wherever the citizen is located.
A modernized national ID Infrastructure in place
Thales is supplying its polycarbonate contactless eID cards along with 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 the personal and biometric data of citizens for duplication-free entry onto the National Registry.
Thales's issuance solution is implemented to personalize and issue smart ID cards at 25 dedicated centres and complete the secure ID solution put in place in the Kingdom. The citizen's details are both laser-engraved in the card and stored in the microprocessor to enable officials to verify the identity of the holder.
The new electronic identity card combines state-of-the-art digital and graphical security features and offers the Jordanian government the ability to add new applications after issuance seamlessly. 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
Thales, through its Government Programs division and its solutions, assists and advises its public and governmental partners in the transformation of their organizations and processes.
Thales supports countries that wish to modernize and have opted to move into the digital age for the well-being of their people, their socio-economic competitiveness, and their security.