When citizens in Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia or Estonia forget or lose the password they use to sign something online or identify themselves with a smart ID card on one of the electronic services, they simply reset the password by submitting a request, usually to the police.
In Montenegro, a citizen who loses or forgets the PIN/PUK of his new, smart, electronic ID card (eLK), as the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MUP) has repeatedly said, cannot get a new password, but must submit a request for issuing a new document.
The deadline for replacement is the end of March 2025.
Based on the Law on Amendments to the Law on Identity Cards, the MUP was supposed to start issuing electronic identity cards on March 30, 2020. However, it was postponed until the summer of the same year, in order to prevent the spread of the coronavirus epidemic. According to the data of the MUP, from June 2020 to December 4 of this year, 346.842 electronic identity cards were issued.
A fee of five euros is payable for issuing a new ID. Old ID cards are valid until the end of March next year at the latest.
"ID cards issued before March 30, 2020, are valid until their expiration date, i.e. until March 30, 2025 at the latest, which we consider to be a sufficient and adequate time period in which citizens can apply for the issuance of an electronic ID card. Also, we believe that citizens will act responsibly and replace their identity cards on time", told "Vijesta" from the department that leads Danilo Šaranović.
Only activated, eLK can be used in the digital world
Compared to the old personal one, the electronic one is "smart". Both can be used for identification in the physical world. The electronic ID, however, can be used to prove identity in the online and digital space, and it is also possible for citizens to digitally sign documents using it.
"Unlike the still valid identity card, which contains personal data (which are laser engraved and visible on the identity card), biometric and other data, the new eLK also contains certificates - a certificate for electronic identification and a certificate for a qualified electronic signature. The purpose of the certificate for electronic identification is the use of personal identification data in electronic form that unambiguously determine a legal entity, a natural person or a natural person in the capacity of a registered entity, i.e. its primary purpose is to prove identity when using available electronic services", explained earlier from the Ministry of Interior and department of public administration.
To be able to use certificates with eLK, that document must be activated.
The ID card is activated by swiping through the card reader. For activation, it is necessary to enter the data obtained when downloading that document - PIN and PUK code. The reader can be an integral part of the computer, it can be purchased independently, and thousands of these devices were previously distributed by the departments of internal affairs and public administration through campaigns.
The new identity card can also be used as a health card. In that case, it is necessary to confirm this in one of the branches of the Health Insurance Fund (FZO), where most citizens actually activate a new personal one. In order for FZO employees to be able to activate someone's eLK, it is necessary to take with you the envelope that is obtained from the MUP, when collecting your personal ID.
When eLK is used instead of health, it also means that the eLK number must be entered on the ezdravlje.me portal in the future - the health number is no longer valid for logging into the system.
Certificates are valid for 10 years
At the IT Spot conference, which was recently held in Podgorica, a participant in one of the panels announced that digital certificates on eLK are not valid if eLK is not activated within one month from the date of issue. The MUP denied those allegations.
"It is not true that the certificates contained in the identity card, that is, the certificate for electronic identification and the certificate for qualified electronic signature, are not valid if they are not activated within one month from the date of issuance of the identity card. The term of validity of the above-mentioned certificates is ten years, and during that period citizens can activate the above-mentioned certificates at any time, that is, their validity is not limited by the activation period", they told "Vijesta".
Keep the envelope, because it contains ID, PIN/PUK
When collecting a new identity card, citizens receive a security envelope at MUP branches, which contains an identification number (in the future, a possible replacement for the unique identity number, JMB) and PIN/PUK.
PIN/PUK are used to activate the document, and the same data are entered when logging in to electronic services, so it is necessary to remember them or save them safely.
In the event that the PIN/PUK is forgotten or lost, as the Ministry of Interior told "News" earlier, it is necessary to submit a request for eLK replacement.
The request for a new ID card in case of losing or forgetting the PIN/PUK is not submitted in several countries in the region and others that issue identification documents such as the ID card issued by the MUP in Montenegro since 2020.
In this regard, "Vijesti" consulted the official websites of the governments of Croatia, Serbia, Slovenia and Estonia. In each of these countries, instead of replacing the card, the card is unblocked.
"When using eOI, a person should take care of the following: After six consecutive attempts to enter the wrong PIN, the card will be locked. A locked card can be unlocked using the PUK value. After six consecutive attempts to enter the wrong PUK, the card will be blocked and the person must come to the PU/PP where an authorized person will unblock the card", it is stated on the eid.hr page, where citizens in Croatia can find everything in one place connection with personal.
In Serbia, in the event that the PIN is forgotten/lost, as it is written on the website of the Certification Body of the MUP of that country, "it is necessary to submit a request to the police station to unblock the ID card with a PIN change".
It is similar in Slovenia and Estonia, where after submitting a request, an envelope with a password reset code is sent by registered mail to the delivery address within a few days.
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