Physical documents provide core legal identities

To take one’s core identity for granted is perhaps a marker of privilege. In many parts of the world, citizens are issued the documents that prove who they are – and what they’re entitled to – as a matter of course. A national ID card arrives when it is due. A driving license is acquired when you are old enough and want it. A passport is obtained when a need arises for travel. 

It is all quite mundane. This mundanity can sometimes disguise how important a legal identity actually is, and how transformational it can be in different circumstances.

“One might think of a passport as a means to go on holiday,” pointed out Andreas Kuba, Global Head of Sales at Veridos. “But in a different context, it means the route to a better job in a different place, or just a job at all. It can provide access to better healthcare, or is a way to provide for your family remotely. It gives you and your family access to education. A legally issued, managed, and verified identity remains foundational to a better life.”

Bodies and governments globally recognize this pressing need. Indeed, the United Nations has isolated the need for a legal identity as one of its Sustainable Development Goals: SDG 16.9 commits its members to, by 2030, “provide legal identity for all, including birth registration.”¹ 

This is still a goal because 850 million people around the world lack a legal identity,² which in turn limits their access to social and economic necessities such as food, health, and education. That governments must provide each and every citizen a legal identity is beyond debate. 

Yet the form the identity takes – whether physical documents, digital identification, or both – is dictated by global standards, but also by the particular circumstances of each nation. Equally, the identity needs of a country’s citizenry will develop as the nation itself does. When it comes to the provision of legal identity, one size clearly doesn’t fit all.

The case for physical documents

The buzz in identities has been around digital ID for some time, and with good reason. There are solid gains in efficiency and convenience that digitization brings to all stakeholders. Indeed, the pace of digitization around the world demands it. 

However, there are certain factors that are keeping physical documents relevant globally. These factors include:

1. Accessibility: Digitization requires the right tools, which not everyone may have access to. Smartphones, wearables, and other digital devices capable of carrying a legal ID aren’t quite as ubiquitous as one might think. Further, approximately 3.45 billion people worldwide lack access to mobile internet connectivity.³
2. Infrastructure: Enrollment, issuance, and verification of digital IDs carry a cost, which poorer nations may struggle with. Setting up the infrastructure itself is costly and time-consuming, while the need for identities is immediate and pressing. In time, a digital ID might be the more cost-effective option in every circumstance, but till that time arrives, physical IDs have a role to play.
3. Regulations and standards vary worldwide. Consider travel: not all ports of entry are equipped to handle every sort of document that may be presented, including passports, ePassports, and digital credentials. Till such time as protocols and standards become uniform, physical documents will remain necessary.

Data backups: Even in highly digital areas, physical documents remain as the backups to their digital counterparts. In crises such as blackouts, a lack of network, or even in terms of data glitches or a lack of interoperability, physical documents remain indispensable. In the medium term at least, that will not change.

Identity requirements change as nations do

While digitization continues globally, it is also true that different nations are at different stages of their own digital trajectories. This is also true when it comes to the means of identification that suits their citizenry best, right now. 

Infrastructure is being added around the world. But it takes time and costs money. Electric and network connectivity cannot be taken for granted right now in many places. This makes physical documents irreplaceable for the conceivable future. This is not to say this will always be the case: the infrastructure will be added down the line, and digital identities will be part of the mix when it is available. 

It is also helpful to remember that not all parts of the identity journey need to be made digital at the same time. Enrollment in nations that lack global identity schemes is a massive undertaking, especially if biometrics are being collected. As Kuba reminded us, there are still places where a woman’s details are included in her husband’s identification. That can be a focus to begin with. When the infrastructure is available, this can be extended to issuance of documents that are verified digitally as well. This could extend to digital credentials that enable targeted welfare benefits, easier travel, and other use cases.

What is important to remember is that we’re talking about human beings. “A human being has a core identity,” said Kuba firmly. “From this core identity, you can derive either physical identity tokens or digital identity tokens. Or both! At the end of the day, it is a credential.” 

Whether physical or digital, what is important is that the credential be accessible and secure. The right identity program gives the citizen that token in the form that works best at the moment and fulfills their particular needs. Additionally, it should have the flexibility to include the other form when the time comes.

In partnership

While the need for identification documents for every person is apparent, the scale of the task can be daunting. The right partner is essential to guide the agencies involved through issues such as the regulatory landscape, the technologies involved, and ensuring there is flexibility built into the system to accommodate new platforms and form factors as they become available. 

Such a partner should combine both experience and expertise across the whole range of identity solutions, both physical and digital, and across enrollment, issuance, and verification. They should ideally have a track record of designing and delivering projects that meet a nation’s particular needs, keeping costs within bounds while enabling the promised technological features.

Veridos, a joint venture between Giesecke+Devrient and Germany’s Bundesdruckerei, has a history of designing and delivering cutting-edge identity documents. Veridos’s success stories span the globe, from passports in Bangladesh and Latvia to voter cards in Mexico and driving licenses in Canada and the US. It is committed to being a nation’s trusted partner in providing secure core identities to every citizen. As the nation and its needs change, Veridos has the global experience and know-how to help it address those changes, including making the jump to a secure digital documentation system.

Published: 25/09/2025