By — Justin Scuiletti Justin Scuiletti Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/estonia-become-first-country-offer-e-residency Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Estonia to become first country to offer e-residency World Oct 7, 2014 6:20 PM EDT Estonia will soon become the first country to offer e-residency, inviting people from around the world to apply to become an “e-Estonian” and gain the opportunity to access government services with a click of a mouse. Becoming an e-resident provides a person with a digital identity, granting “secure access to Estonia’s digital services.” With the use of a microchip enabled card that can be plugged into a USB reader, e-residents can use any computer to legally sign documents, as well as access services ranging from police, prescriptions, voting ballots, health records, education and more — all through the internet. E-residency does not grant “legal residency, citizenship or right of entry to Estonia,” the website states, but instead is aimed towards those who have a prior business, student or tourist relationship with the country — though the program states it wishes to provide its services to anybody who wants to use them. Applications must currently be submitted at a Police and Border Guard office within Estonia, but the country aims to expand that capability to Estonian embassies across the globe by last 2015. By — Justin Scuiletti Justin Scuiletti Justin Scuiletti is the digital video producer at PBS NewsHour. @JSkl
Estonia will soon become the first country to offer e-residency, inviting people from around the world to apply to become an “e-Estonian” and gain the opportunity to access government services with a click of a mouse. Becoming an e-resident provides a person with a digital identity, granting “secure access to Estonia’s digital services.” With the use of a microchip enabled card that can be plugged into a USB reader, e-residents can use any computer to legally sign documents, as well as access services ranging from police, prescriptions, voting ballots, health records, education and more — all through the internet. E-residency does not grant “legal residency, citizenship or right of entry to Estonia,” the website states, but instead is aimed towards those who have a prior business, student or tourist relationship with the country — though the program states it wishes to provide its services to anybody who wants to use them. Applications must currently be submitted at a Police and Border Guard office within Estonia, but the country aims to expand that capability to Estonian embassies across the globe by last 2015.