Monaco: a new digital identity document

In June 2021, the Principality of Monaco rolled out its digital identity service, offered free of charge to its 38,350 inhabitants. This service will grant them access to the new one-stop shop for all administrative procedures of the Monegasque public service, launched in October 2021.

Monaco has chosen to link this digital identity to a sovereign identity. All new physical identity documents issued by Monaco (identity card or residence permit) are equipped with a chip enabling the activation of the digital identity.

Any Monegasque resident can obtain this new identity document, even if the previous one is still valid. They can then, if they wish, activate their digital identity via a smartphone equipped with an NFC chip and the dedicated MConnect app. The procedure is then very simple. To validate their identity on a compatible public or private service, residents simply need to bring their physical card close to their smartphone and enter a secret code.

In October 2021, Julien Dejanovic, Director of Digital Services for the Government of Monaco, revealed that this digital identity has been adopted by 70% of the 2,500 people who have been issued a new physical identity document.

This solution was developed in 18 months by IN Groupe (a French company specialising in the manufacture of secure documents) and is based on the interoperable OSIA and OIDC standards developed by the Secure Identity Alliance.

The choice of this technology was made possible by the small number of Monegasque residents. It is therefore not duplicable in France. However, the French government is making progress on this issue. In May 2021, it chose Atos, Sopra Steria, Idemia, and Idakto to develop a digital identity management system. The European Commission wants every EU citizen to have a digital identity portfolio by October 2022.