Maltese e-ID users will soon be able to access a wider range of online services in other EU countries after Malta's e-ID system passed 'rigorous' testing and achieved the highest level of security assurance recognised by the EU.

The final evaluation process, which is ongoing, will take up to six months. Maltese e-ID users will then be able to access EU online systems to manage their health, education and tax services.

"People are increasingly choosing to spend some time living and working in EU countries, and this will benefit them greatly," Parliamentary Secretary Alex Muscat said. 

"Most importantly, the system is secure. Identity theft crimes are surging everywhere and this is a step forward to ensure that Maltese e-ID users have their information stored safely."

Maltese e-ID users will be able to access these services in 14 out of 27 EU countries - the Czech Republic, Estonia, Italy, Holland, Denmark, Spain, Latvia, Germany, Slovakia, Croatia, Belgium, Luxembourg, Lithuania, and Portugal.

These are the countries that have so far seen their electronic identification system achieve security assurance.

"The majority of EU nations have not yet marked this achievement," Muscat said.

Identity Malta CEO Anton Sevasta told the media on Tuesday that Malta’s e-ID is in the process of being officially notified by eIDAS, the European Commission’s key enabler for secure cross-border transactions. The recently launched Maltese e-ID card and e-residence documents were designed to enable this interoperability from the very start, he added.

According to Muscat, this would lead to the further reduction of bureaucracy. 

"We are not only reducing unnecessary processes internally, but we are also facilitating life for Maltese citizens when they need to access services provided by other countries”, he said.

"Gone are the days of endless waiting lines in front of Evan's Building in Valletta. We did away with those lines because we securely transferred our services online, and this is what we will continue to do."