Electronic identification

Electronic identification (eID) means the process of using personal data in electronic form, uniquely representing either a natural or a legal person, or a natural person, representing a legal person. Electronic identification:

♦  provides a common foundation for secure electronic interaction between citizens, businesses and public authorities;

♦  ensures legal certainty in electronic transactions;

♦  lowers the administrative burden;

♦  provides access to cross-border online services.

Electronic service delivery requires а recognized means for remote establishing and verifying the citizen identity.

National electronic identification scheme

The national electronic identification scheme, which is currently being developed by the Ministry of Interior, is envisaged in the Electronic Government Act. According to the scheme, natural persons will verify their identity in the electronic system via an electronic identifier, an element of the electronic identity certificate, issued by the Minister of Interior. The electronic identifier enables natural persons to verify their identity upon requesting electronic administrative services that require identity verification.

Until the launch of the national electronic identification scheme, the following means of identification will remain in use — qualified electronic signature, various personal codes (PICs, used by the NRA and the NSII, and UCD used by the NHIC), usernames and passwords.

Cross-border electronic identification

In accordance with Regulation (EU) No 910/2014 of the European Parliament, and of the Council on electronic identification and trust services for electronic transactions in the internal market and repealing Directive 1999/93/EC, the principle of mutual recognition shall apply, meaning that in electronic administrative service delivery Member States shall recognize the electronic identification means, issued in another Member State, if the notifying Member State’s electronic identification scheme meets the conditions of notification and the notification was published in the Official Journal of the European Union.

In order to enable mutual recognition and the possibility for citizens to apply for electronic administrative services in any Member State using electronic means of identification, issued in their home country, each Member State must build a national technological infrastructure, the so-called eIDAS-Node. It will enable the receipt, processing and transmission of data about persons who have requested electronic administrative services to other nodes, making it possible for the national electronic identification infrastructure of a Member State to link up to the infrastructure of another Member State. The Bulgarian eIDAS-Node has been set up and operates within the production environment of SEGA. It is part of the horizontal electronic authentication system.

More information is available here