Giving an interoperable e-ID solution: Using foreign e-IDs in Austrian e-Government

Electronic identities (e-IDs) are of paramount importance for almost any e-Government application. Thus, many countries are working on their e-Government and e-ID strategies in order to improve access to governmental services for their citizens. However, facing a society of increasing mobility raises the requirements for e-Government and e-ID solutions. So providing e-Government services to native citizens only is no longer acceptable. E-Government and e-ID in particular have to be designed focusing on interoperability. The interoperability of e-IDs within the European Union is an especially open issue. The existing identity management solutions in member states have not been developed from the interoperability perspective. This article explains the Austrian e-ID approach and how foreign identities are already today incorporated into its e-Government framework.