Five years after the start of issuing the new, electronic ID card, a proposal was submitted to the Parliament of Montenegro to postpone the deadline for replacing old documents, the end of March, by another six months.
Deputies Dusko Stjepović (Democrats) and Miodrag Laković (Europe Now) yesterday sent to the Speaker of the Parliament Andrija Mandić the Bill on Amendments to the Law on Identity Cards, which extends the deadline for replacing identity cards until the end of September:
"ID cards issued in accordance with the Law on ID Cards (Official Gazette of Montenegro No. 12/07, 73/10, 28/11, 50/12, 10/14) can be used until the expiration of their validity, and no later than September 30, 2025," is the amendment proposed by Stjepović and Laković.
The issuance of the new ID card is stipulated in the Law on Amendments to the Law on ID Cards from 2019. Based on the law, the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MUP) was supposed to start issuing the document on March 30, 2020, but this was postponed until the beginning of the summer of the same year, due to measures aimed at preventing the spread of the coronavirus epidemic.
The law also stipulates a five-year deadline for replacing old ID cards, which means that all citizens are required to submit a request for a new ID card by the end of March.
In their explanation for amending the law, Stjepović and Laković state, among other things, that it is necessary to extend this deadline because "a significant number of citizens" did not do so within the prescribed deadline:
"Given that the deadline for replacing ID cards issued before the start of the application of the Law on Amendments to the Law on ID Cards, i.e. issued before March 30, 2020, expires on March 30, 2025, and given that a significant number of citizens have not replaced their currently valid ID cards with electronic ID cards within the prescribed period, it is necessary to extend the aforementioned period for replacing ID cards, in order to avoid administrative obstacles and ensure the smooth exercise of citizens' rights and obligations," they state in their explanation.
As they added, by extending the deadline, "citizens are given additional time to replace their ID cards":
"This reduces the risk of possible legal consequences that may arise due to the expiration of currently valid ID cards. Also, this amendment to the law contributes to more efficient work of the competent state authorities, preventing the creation of administrative congestion and contributing to continuity in issuing ID cards, in a manner that meets the needs of citizens and the technical capacities of the competent authority," Stjepović and Laković stated in the proposal submitted to the Parliament.
From the Ministry of Internal Affairs, headed by Danilo Šaranović (Democrats) recently told "Vijesti" that the deadline stipulated by law, i.e. the end of March, is sufficient:
"ID cards issued before March 30, 2020, are valid until the expiration of their validity period, or at the latest until March 30, 2025, which we believe is a sufficient and adequate period of time in which citizens can submit a request for the issuance of an electronic ID card. We also believe that citizens will act responsibly and replace their ID cards on time," reads a statement from the Ministry of Internal Affairs, which was provided to "Vijesti" at the beginning of December last year.
Compared to the old personal ID, the electronic one is “smart”. Both can be used for identification in the physical world. The electronic one, however, contains a certificate for electronic identification and a certificate for a qualified electronic signature, so it 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.
"This amendment to the law contributes to more efficient work of the competent state authorities, preventing the creation of administrative congestion and contributing to continuity in issuing identity cards, in a manner that meets the needs of citizens and the technical capacities of the competent authority," states the explanation of the deputies who submitted the proposal.
In order to be able to use certificates with eLK, the document must be activated. Activation data, PIN/PUK, come in an envelope with the ID, which the citizen receives when collecting the document. The envelope also contains the citizen's unique identification number, which the idea was to replace the personal identification number. This has not happened so far and this ID is not visible on the document, but is written in the chip of the ID card.
It is necessary to save the envelope, or rather the data from the envelope. In the event of losing the PIN/PUK codes, a request for a new one must be submitted.
The ID card is activated by swiping it through a card reader. To activate, it is necessary to enter the codes received upon collection (PIN/PUK).
The reader can be an integral part of a computer, it can be purchased independently, and thousands of these devices have previously been distributed through campaigns by the ministries of internal affairs and public administration.
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.
The Health Insurance Fund recently told "Vijesti" that it has also happened that they were unable to read the data from some ID cards, or activate the LK, and that this is due to a problem with the Ministry of Interior's software. In that case, the Health Insurance Fund said, it is necessary to contact the Ministry of Internal Affairs without delay.
The Ministry of Internal Affairs did not comment on these allegations, nor did they respond to earlier questions from "Vijesti" regarding this matter.
For citizens who register their ID card with the Health Insurance Fund, it is important to know that this also means that in the future, instead of the health card number, they will enter the eLK number when registering on the eZdravlje.me portal.
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