From December 9, some residents of Latvia will no longer be able to use their eID cards for qualified electronic signatures in the same way. However, the IDs themselves will remain valid, and the authorities promise to launch a new solution that will allow the continued ability to sign documents electronically.
The changes will affect approximately 346,000 eID cards that use a previous generation chip. According to the requirements of the European Union, the certification period for these chips is coming to an end, and it will no longer be possible to issue a qualified electronic signature through them.
At the same time, the holders of such cards will not have to change their ID earlier than necessary.
The cards will continue to be used as a form of identification, remain valid for travel, and will still work for identity verification in electronic services.
The most significant change only concerns the function of the qualified electronic signature.
According to the Latvian State Radio and Television Center, the issue is not related to security flaws in the cards themselves, but rather to changes in European regulation and the manufacturer's decision not to extend the certification of the old generation chips.
To ensure that users do not lose the ability to sign documents, the government is preparing a new solution — a remote qualified electronic signature. Its development and implementation will cost approximately 300,000 euros.
Work has already begun, and the launch of the new system is planned before the end of August, so that by the time the changes come into effect, users can continue to use the electronic signature without the need to change their eID card.
Most of the affected IDs were issued from 2019 to June 2, 2022. It was during this period that the "Cosmo 8.1" chip was installed in the cards, the certification of which expires on December 9.
Of all the cards with this chip, about 116,000 have been used at least once to create an electronic signature, and approximately 112,000 users have signed a contract for the use of "eParaksts mobile."
Thus, after December 9, holders of such eID cards will not need to obtain a new document. Only the technology for creating the qualified electronic signature will change, which will work through the new remote solution.
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