KRG Digital ID Program Surpasses 2 Million Registrations
The KRG's digital ID program, a key part of its digital transformation, has surpassed two million registrants. The biometric ID provides citizens with faster, easier access to government services at 26 centers across the Kurdistan Region.
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) — The Kurdistan Regional Government has reached a significant milestone in its ambitious digital transformation strategy, with over two million citizens now equipped with a unique digital ID designed to provide faster and easier access to a wide range of government services.
This key initiative, implemented by the KRG Department of Information Technology, represents one of the most important steps towards creating an advanced digital government in the Kurdistan Region.
The process for citizens to obtain their digital identity is designed for speed and efficiency, taking only about five minutes to complete at one of the 26 dedicated centers opened across the region. During this brief registration, a citizen's biometric information, including a personal photo, fingerprint, and eye scan, is captured.
Upon completion, the citizen is issued a special 13-digit Unique Personal Number (UPN), which serves as their digital ID within the government's electronic systems.
This digital ID acts as a gateway for citizens to access a growing list of government services online, streamlining processes that were previously cumbersome.
Currently, citizens can use their UPN to fill out Hajj forms and renew passports, with plans for the ID to be integrated into most other government transactions in the future. The convenience of the new system was praised by residents.
Azad Mawlood, a citizen who visited a center to obtain his digital ID, stated, "This system is a very good facilitation, and we thank the Kurdistan Regional Government for this step. Previously, for every transaction, we needed to have several documents, but now with this digital ID, we can get most of our work done easily."
Officials overseeing the program have confirmed that, according to the latest statistics, more than two million citizens have now received their digital ID.
Shahla Abdullah, Head of the Quality Control and Digital Service Delivery Team, indicated that their goal is to deliver this service to two million citizens, a target group that includes most government salary recipients, as well as holders of driver's licenses and company owners.
She affirmed the government's commitment to expanding the program's utility, stating, "Step by step, we are increasing our services, and every citizen will need this ID to carry out their work easily and stay away from the crowding at the centers."
