Three generations of eID in Denmark
![Picture of the NemID key-card](/media/27340/nemid-illustration.jpg?width=678)
MitID is Denmark’s third generation eID, with the first Digital Signature pilot project starting in 1999.
In 1999, the Ministry of Science carried out Denmark's first pilot project about a Digital Signature, the first generation of eID in the country. In 2015, Parliament passed the law that residents should use digital services when possible.
NemID
In 2010, the second-generation eID solution NemID was introduced. This served as a communal login for public and private self-service solutions and online banking. NemID consists of a user ID, a password, and a cardboard key card with one-time codes. User ID and password are something users choose and must memorise.
The key card is a small cardboard card the size of a credit card that users need to keep with them safely. The user enters a user ID and password and a code from the key card with each login. In 2018, NemID introduced an app to supplement the key card. By 2021, it had been downloaded and used by more than 4 million users.
Digital communication presupposes that residents can identify themselves securely when they need to access, e.g. their Digital Post. When using online self-services, authorities may require citizens to use NemID unless the person is exempt from digital self-service.
Read more about Digital Post
The app's introduction paved the way for the third-generation Danish eID, MitID.
Read more about MitID – a unique public-private partnership