Applications for Cyprus's National Electronic Identity (eID) program open today, Monday, for Cypriot citizens over 18 who hold a biometric ID card.

During a presentation last week, Deputy Minister of Research, Innovation, and Digital Policy, Nikodimos Damianou, announced that the government is subsidizing 100,000 electronic IDs for Cypriot citizens. The first 30,000 eIDs will be distributed free of charge, prioritized by application order. The remaining 70,000 eIDs will be available at a subsidized cost of €15 per card.

>>What Cypriots Need to Know About the National Electronic Identity (eID)<<

According to Mr. Damianou, the eID serves as a secure, unique digital identity for citizens in the online world. It enables authentication for public and private digital services and allows users to electronically sign documents with the same legal validity as handwritten signatures.

The electronic signature feature has already been integrated into the Ippodamos system, with plans to expand its use to other government systems, such as the Department of Registrar of Companies and Intellectual Property and the Department of Road Transport, which are in the implementation phase.

Initially, citizens obtaining their eID will be able to log in to government systems via CY Login, using their eID credentials.

Cyprus's national eID has been approved by the European Commission at the highest level of security and recognition ("High Assurance") under the eIDAS Regulation, with its registered name: IDMe.cy.