The new ID-cards will use a contactless microchip instead of a contact one. According to the department's Director General Mari Pedak, while currently an ID-card must be placed into a device for reading information, in the future it will suffice to simply present the document.
The introduction of new ID-cards, according to Pedak, is inevitable, as many countries worldwide have requirements stipulating that a document must contain at least a digital image of its holder's face. Pedak noted that the requirement to add a digital image to the document is not mandatory, but Estonia intends to equip ID-cards with it.
A passenger using a new-type ID-card to enter the country will have to pass through special gates – no additional checks or queueing will be required. An official will only intervene in the identification procedure if the electronic system signals possible problems.
Pedak believes that the exchange of ID-cards will happen naturally, as documents will be replaced with new ones upon wear or expiration. In the Director General's opinion, the state fee for issuing new ID-cards will not increase.
The introduction of next-generation ID-cards depends on political decisions. "The current agreement on card validity expires at the end of 2006, so the new system will be launched no later than January 1, 2007."
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