Brussels, Belgium, 11th March 2020 – The new Belgian eID document, which was launched in a pilot phase in January 2020, received the “Best Regional ID Document” award yesterday evening during a ceremony at the High Security Printing event in Lisbon. This award promotes the best in security printing, system infrastructure, and implementation of a government passport, identity or other security card scheme.

 

17 years at the forefront of innovation & security

In 2003, Belgium was a pioneer in the area of electronic identity documents, being the first country in the world to roll out such a document at national level. Since then, use of the eID has been extended to include foreign residents in Belgium, children under 12, and a number of additional public and private applications.

Early this year, Belgium launched a renewed version of its national ID document. Enhancements include a revised design with new elements to combat counterfeiting even more effectively, the presence of the photo in five different locations—including at the front and back in a combination of perforation technique (Image Perf) and laser printing—and the switch to a dual smart card, making the Belgian eID an ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization) compliant travel document which holds the information of two fingerprints.

 

A key tool for citizens to interact with public authorities online

Bart Vrancken, Head of the Identity Documents department of the Federal Public Service Interior, says: “We are very happy about this award. The Belgian eID is a condensate of the best-in-breed techniques and technologies meeting the highest security standards in terms of document and data protection. This is an essential tool for every Belgian citizen to use for online authentication in the safest way, interact with the public authorities, and carry out all sorts of transactions, including those requiring a qualified eSignature.”

Alain Wirtz, CEO of Zetes, continues: “The Belgian eID is a flagship product in Zetes’ portfolio. It has been the company’s first governmental reference and a key one to establish our reputation worldwide. We were therefore honoured to be able to continue our collaboration with the Belgian authorities for the renewal of this project and are proud about today’s recognition from the industry.”

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