The e-ID-card is a smart card for accessing e-government services, which is aimed at boosting the deployment and take-up of transactional services.

The smart card already widely used in telephony and increasingly in public transport and epayment - is now emerging as a key building block for secure access to and convenient use of eGovernment information society services. Foremost of these at present is the drive to implement an advanced eHealth card and e-ID cards in several member states. As a safe and tamper-resistant token it enables secure and convenient access to services and provides holders with increased confidence when accessing and using on-line services. In particular the elements of the Smart Card Charter developed smart card based electronic Public Identity, which addresses authentication in e-government and in the private e-services domain are of major importance. Besides containing personal data elements this electronic Public ID also addresses biometrics for convenient proof of the claimed identity of a person and the digital signature to prove the positive consent of the cardholder in an e-transaction process.

The e-ID-card is meant to enable user identification and authentication for all existing and future e-government services. Combined with a card reader, the e-ID-card will make it possible for citizens to securely interact and transact with public authorities online, therefore providing a decisive boost to the further development of Internet-based e-government services.

Invent-Soft created a multiplatform e-ID-card plug-in is the library developed for one of the European countries. This plug-in allows users, which use Gecko-based browsers, exploit their e-ID-card for accessing online services requiring SSL client authentication, regardless of the specific type of e-ID-card. The e-ID-card aims at becoming an access mechanism for all existing and future e-government services. When inserted in a special reader, the e-ID-card card will identify its owner online and allow interaction with the public authorities.