- New card modelled on the national eID
- Launch of a pilot phase in Lille (France) and widespread availability in the course of the third and fourth quarters of 2009
Brussels, 4 June 2009 – Zetes Industries, the pan-European specialist in the value-added solutions and services industry for automatic identification of goods and people, has been entrusted with the production of the eID (electronic identity card) for Belgians abroad. This card will be issued on request to Belgian nationals domiciled outside Belgium who register with the local Belgian embassy or consulate.
The decision to go ahead with the delivery of the new card was announced on the 4th of June during a ceremony held at the General Consulate of Belgium in Lille (France) during which the Director General For Consular Affairs of the Federal Public Service Foreign Affairs, Patrick Nijs and the Director General of the Directorate General for Institutions and Population within the Federal Public Service Home Affairs, Luc Vanneste, issued the first cards to Belgian citizens living in this city. The distribution of the cards, which is getting off the ground immediately with a pilot phase in Lille, will be extended to all European countries during the third and fourth quarters of this year. By the end of 2010, all Belgian embassies and consulates will be ready to issue the eID.
The eID project for Belgians resident abroad will have no impact on the financial direction of the Zetes Group in 2009.
Alain Wirtz, CEO of the Zetes group, comments: “This project further reinforces our cooperation with the Belgian authorities. The fact that this new card is identical to the national eID means that Belgians who go to live abroad and who already have an eID do not have to redo all the paperwork to obtain a new document. The address details will simply be modified on the electronic chip by the accredited Belgian embassy or consulate.”
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