Authentication and signature creation procedures are key stages fundamental to any digital service delivery, and our mobile and cloud-based eID and signature solution supports these functionalities in a simple and user-friendly manner. Not only that mobile ID and cloud signature are more convenient and easier to use, but they also increase the digital uptake because they unlock the access to digital services for a growing number of mobile-only users. Orientation towards mobile and cloud-based solutions is evident and trust service providers across the globe have started to look for a way to adapt to their users’ need for mobility without sacrificing authenticity and identity assurance. Apart from the novelty of the solutions, national eID portal, mobile ID and cloud signature project implemented 2019 - 2022 marked the beginning of a new era in digital public service management in Serbia, one that is more user-centred, problem solving and iterative.

We managed to meet the objectives of our eID project formulated 5 years ago. National eID portal is operational and most public portals and websites requiring authentication are connected to it, which allows users to navigate across public services smoothly using a single set of credentials.
Users can decide between several registration and authentication procedures as well as decide whether they want to use services from their mobile devices or computers. All eID services are provided free of charge and easy to use as to enable that everyone can take part in secure electronic transactions and enjoy the benefits of digital service provision. For us, services are never "finished", we continually collect and analyze user feedback and statistics and frequently introduce minor improvements. To promote the benefits of digital interaction, we conduct visibility campaign in media "Become an eCitizen" and take part in our government's on-site campaign "The Digital Expedition".

Stakeholders from government, academia, as well as representatives of businesses and civil sector took part in our project, from initial idea, to the design, development and promotion. User engagement and feedback improve the intuitiveness and usability of our eID services. In eID delivery all levels of government and commercial actors take part as registration authorities, considering that activation keys are issued in post offices, local tax administrations and banks throughout Serbia.

New mobile IDs are available, convenient and easier to use than card-based certificates, and unlock the access to sophisticated digital services for a growing number of mobile-only users making digital services more inclusive. Conformity to strict and widely recognised standards ensures trust and interoperability and allows for future cross-border service provision, whereas National eID portal’s Single Sign On increases the consistency in service provision and improves user experience.

The performance and impact of our services are carefully monitored. In just three and a half years we supported eID registration of 2,2 million people. Over 800,000 citizens use mobile ID and in just a year and a half over 200,000 citizens started to sign documents digitally using our cloud signature. The digital uptake in our country increased significantly so we consider mobile ID and cloud signature key digital transformation enablers. The benefits of increased trust and savings resulting from shared eID infrastructure are hard to measure, but the results of independent user satisfaction survey conducted last year clearly show that users benefit from increased usability and consistency in digital service provision.

ational eID portal started to operate in February 2020 and all eGovernment accounts were deactivated because of new identity proofing requirements - so when lockdowns started and the demand for digital services increased rapidly, we did not have registered users with confirmed identity. Aside from urgency to register users, we had to design and deploy many new solutions and services as to ensure continuity and respond to pandemic. In January 2021 when mass immunization started, we set up promotional booths on mass-vaccination sites and offered eID means on-site. Our efforts, flexibility and adaptability during crisis were recognized and awarded both in Serbia and internationally.

All above-mentioned factors contributed to the success of our project - strategic commitment to digitalization, eIDAS compliant national framework, coordination and governance, dedicated human and financial resources, supporting infrastructure, as well as personal motivation, especially during covid-19 pandemic. Apart from this, very important factor was user engagement, willingness of users and communities to take part in the development, testing and continual improvement, and valuable feedback they still provide on a daily basis. Without user engagement, our solutions would not be as usable and intuitive, and consequently their uptake and user satisfaction would not be as good.

Our solutions can easily be replicated because they are conformant to the standards adopted by many countries. The digital uptake increases, as well as the demand for solutions that support digital transactions in a mobile and user-friendly manner - users do not want to be tied to their computers anymore and want to use even the most advanced services from their mobile devices. Orientation towards mobile and cloud-based solutions is evident and following these trends most trust service providers started to look for a way to adapt to their users’ needs for mobility without sacrificing authenticity and identity assurance. We have already provided several countries with our know-how in eID domain through our knowledge-sharing programme.

Our project for the establishment of shared eID infrastructure, National eID portal introducing Single Sign-On, mobile ID and cloud signature solution, was very complex. From this point of view we are safe to say that we avoided big design and implementation risks that could negatively affect service usability and ease of use by deploying and enhancing all elements incrementally and iteratively, relying on data, business analyses and user feedback and by engaging with users and involving users in all project implementation stages.