You're reading: Zelensky signs law on legalization of e-passports

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky has signed the law “On Amendments to the Law of Ukraine” On the Unified State Demographic Register and documents confirming the citizenship of Ukraine, identity or its special status No. 1368-IX, which the parliament adopted on March 30.

The law establishes at the legislative level the definitions of an e-passport and an e-passport for traveling abroad and equates them to physical counterparts. This will allow the use of these digital documents when traveling within Ukraine, for medical services or for banking operations, for receiving administrative, hotel, telecommunication, library, postal services, when purchasing goods in a store and for confirming identity at a request from the police and law enforcement agencies, the presidential press service reported.

The law comes into force on August 23, 2021.

The message notes that now about 5 million citizens of Ukraine use electronic passports (digital images of ID-cards) through the mobile application of the portal of public services Diia. E-passports are available only to those Ukrainians who have an ID card or biometric passport. Their main advantages are security against counterfeiting, ease of receipt and ease of use.