People in Sweden can apply from December 1 for SverigeID, a state-issued e-ID from the Swedish Police that they will use through a phone app to identify themselves and log in to digital services. The police describe it as a complement to existing e-IDs, which include the bank-issued BankID and the privately run Freja+.
Getting it starts at a police station. Swedish citizens ask for SverigeID when they apply for a new national ID card, since the e-ID is tied to that card, and accept its terms of use at the station. National ID cards issued before December 1 cannot be used for it.
Residents registered in Sweden without Swedish citizenship can apply as well, and receive an ID card that is not valid for travel. They have been able to book appointments since November 1, but only by calling 114 14, and only 33 police stations take their applications. For everyone, the minimum age is the year a person turns nine.
The app needs Android 12 or iOS 16 or later, and the police say it is the only approved device for using SverigeID. Someone without a phone of their own can borrow a friend’s by entering the CAN code from their ID card, which links the card to that phone. The first version supports only the highest assurance level in Sweden’s e-ID framework.
Early uses will be limited. On launch day, SverigeID will work on Mina sidor, the police’s own online portal, where people can book passport and ID card appointments, check the status of some police reports and weapons permit applications, and give consent for a child’s passport or ID card. More Swedish agencies are due to offer it during 2027.
A separate change announced this week could bring more choice at login. Sweden’s Agency for Digital Government (Digg) said BankID will connect to Sweden Connect, the national e-ID infrastructure, which would let municipalities, regions and agencies offer BankID, Freja+ and SverigeID through a single technical connection. “It should be easy for public actors to offer secure login in their digital services,” said Digg Director General Anna Eriksson. Digg and BankID have not yet set a date.
The police say SverigeID answers an EU requirement for member states to offer an e-ID at the highest assurance level, and that it will be usable within the EU. An application for European certification is under way, and SverigeID is due to become part of the state’s digital identity wallet.
Sources: Swedish Police, Digg, Metro Mode
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By the Mobile ID World Editorial Team