Citizens who received a new, electronic identity card (eLK) and were unable to activate it in the Health Insurance Fund (HIF) should contact the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MUP), as the cause of the problem with the activation of the personal document is the software of that department.
This was, among other things, told "Vijesti" by the Health Insurance Fund, in response to a citizen's complaint that he had not been able to activate his new personal ID in the Fund, in order to use it in the healthcare system in the future.
A citizen (name known to the editorial staff) contacted "Vijesti" a few days ago, alleging that, after picking up a new ID card, he went to the Health Insurance Fund to activate the ID card and use it as a health insurance card. However, he was unable to do so, and the Health Insurance Fund, he said, told him that they could not read the ID card code.
"The aforementioned problem has been identified and the Ministry of Internal Affairs has already responded. Namely, the status of the insured is unquestionable and they are all registered with the Health Insurance Fund as insured, but there is a systemic problem related to the Ministry of Internal Affairs software. In certain situations, the Fund's employees referred the insured to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, after which the problem was resolved and there were no obstacles to the ID card being registered as a health card. Colleagues from the Ministry of Internal Affairs are working to eliminate problems that rarely occur in practice, but the fact is that they do occur," they told "Vijesti" from the Health Insurance Fund, headed by Vuk Kadic.
They added, "insured persons who fail to register their ID card with the Health Insurance Fund should contact the Ministry of Internal Affairs without delay in order to resolve the problem."
The Ministry of the Interior did not respond to "Vijesti's" questions.
Replacement deadline end of March
Based on the Law on Amendments to the Law on Identity Cards, the Ministry of Interior was supposed to start issuing electronic identity cards on March 30, 2020. However, this was postponed until the summer of the same year, in order to prevent the spread of the coronavirus epidemic.
A fee of five euros is charged for issuing a new ID card. Old ID cards are valid until the end of March at the latest.
"ID cards issued before March 30, 2020, are valid until their expiration date, or no later than March 30, 2025," the department responsible for the issue recently said. Danilo Šaranović.
She can be "smart"
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 ID card, which contains personal data (which are laser engraved and visible on the ID card), biometric and other data, the new eLK also contains certificates - an electronic identification certificate and a qualified electronic signature certificate. The purpose of the electronic identification certificate is to use personal identification data in electronic form that uniquely identifies a legal entity, a natural person or a natural person in the capacity of a registered subject, i.e. its primary purpose is to prove identity when using available electronic services," the Ministry of Interior and the Ministry of Public Administration (MPA), which runs Marash Dukaj.
Save PIN/PUK
When collecting a new ID card, citizens at MUP branches receive a security envelope containing an identification number (possible replacement for a unique personal identification number, JMB, in the future) and a PIN/PUK. The PIN/PUK is used to activate the document, and the same data is entered when logging into electronic services, so it is necessary to remember it or store it safely.
In the event that the PIN/PUK is forgotten or lost, as previously told to "Vijesti" by the Ministry of Internal Affairs, it is necessary to submit a request for a replacement ID card.
In order to be able to use certificates with eLK, the document must be activated. The ID card is activated by swiping it through a card reader. For activation, it is necessary to enter the data obtained when downloading the document - PIN and PUK code. The reader can be an integral part of the computer, it can be purchased independently, and several thousand of these devices have previously been distributed through campaigns by the departments of internal affairs and public administration.
The Ministry of Interior previously said that the validity period of certificates is ten years and that during that period, citizens can activate the aforementioned certificates at any time, meaning that their validity is not limited by the activation period.
LK number and for eHealth
The new ID card can also be used as a health insurance card. In that case, it is necessary to confirm this at one of the branches of the Health Insurance Fund, where most citizens actually activate their new ID card. In order for the employees of the Health Insurance Fund to be able to activate someone's eLK, it is necessary to bring with you the envelope that is obtained from the Ministry of Internal Affairs, when collecting personal, or PIN/PUK, data.
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.
Information about eLK is available at https://www.gov.me/mup/elk.
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