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I was at a loss when I was tasked with writing an article about Estonia’s eID. At first, I couldn’t think of anything to write. I’m young enough to have lived with eID practically my entire life. It’s just one of those things that have always been there, seamlessly woven into the fabric of daily life. From the moment I could remember, my identity in Estonia has been digitally encoded in a card that unlocks access to countless services, and the idea of electronic identity being anything but a given seemed almost foreign to me.
After some thought, I came up with a different approach. Instead of trying to write about something abstract or theoretical, I decided to take a more personal route: I would count how many times I used my eID over the next two days. Remember that these two days did not fall at the beginning of the month when most people need to pay off multiple invoices and do other similar transactions. In that sense, they provide a better example of the average daily use of eID. I also want to note that because of the nature of my work, I often use my electronic identity for demonstrative purposes, and I excluded these from my experiment.
On the first day, I found myself using my eID five times. The first instance was when I logged into my online bank. All banks in Estonia use the national eID for clients to access their accounts, and I did the same to check my balance. Later, I used it twice in stores, where it served as my loyalty card. It’s incredibly convenient to have everything tied to my electronic identity, so I don’t have to carry many separate cards. I also used it at the pharmacy to purchase my medication using my e-prescription. Lastly, I accessed my investment account, reviewed my stock portfolio, and tracked the latest market changes, all with the same secure login.
The following day, I used my eID six times. It started with another visit to my online banking portal, where I logged in to check my finances. In the same session, I used my digital signature twice more for online money transfers—one to pay a friend and another to settle a small bill. I also used my ID card at a local cafe, which again acted as a loyalty card to get a discount. The final two uses came when I logged into government portals—one to check general state services and the other to access my health information on the health portal.
Over these two days, it became clear how seamlessly my eID is woven into my personal and financial life. From online banking and investments to loyalty points and public services, my electronic identity is a key that unlocks access to almost everything I need.
Looking at how I used my eID over two days, it became clear how much more efficient my daily tasks are. On average, each use of my eID took about a minute, meaning I spent around 11 minutes using it across both days. It’s a minimal time loss for such a seamless and secure experience.
Without eID, these same tasks would have taken considerably longer. For my finances, logging into my bank and making transactions would have involved more steps—like receiving SMS codes, making phone calls, or even making trips to the bank or ATMs. That could easily add 10-15 minutes each time, depending on the complexity of the transaction.
Using loyalty cards would mean carrying multiple physical cards, trying to remember them, or even losing them altogether. Each time I used one, it would add a few extra minutes to my day.
When it comes to my medication, I use a repeat prescription that is the same every time. Without eID, I would need to take time off work to visit my doctor to get a paper prescription. This would add not only the time for the appointment but also the time to travel to and from the doctor’s office—quickly taking 20-30 minutes or more.
For public services, without eID, I would have to visit multiple public offices, wait in lines, and spend time filling out paperwork. Depending on the service, this could cost me anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour for each visit.
Without eID, I’d have spent a couple of hours on these same tasks—managing paperwork, waiting in lines, writing emails or making phone calls. With eID, I spent only about 11 minutes across two days and to put it in perspective; it is roughly the same as boiling a pot of pasta. These are small, everyday tasks that we barely notice, but when you multiply them across all the other ways eID saves time, the impact becomes much more straightforward. The best part is that those 11 minutes save me hours overtime—hours I can use for far more exciting things than standing in line at the bank or remembering where I put my loyalty cards.
Without eID, Estonia could not have built its digital nation. It is an integral tool that powers the entire digital country and poses as a unique combination of being a foundational element of the country while also being so seamless that the average citizen often doesn’t even realise how much they rely on it every day. In comparison, many other countries have more fragmented electronic identity approaches, where different systems are used for various services. While this can present some challenges regarding convenience and interoperability, these nations continue to work towards improving their digital identity solutions. Estonia’s model exemplifies how a unified approach can enhance digital services’ user experience and efficiency.
In the grand scheme, having my entire identity, finances, and public services at my fingertips isn’t just convenient—it’s a game changer. So, thank you, eID, for saving me time and energy and for the inevitable frustration of managing a dozen physical cards. I’ll use those extra minutes wisely—maybe for making a bowl of pasta.
