The card is issued by the Belgian government and is available for citizens over 12 years old. For children below 12, a version without signing function is available (known as Kids-ID). There is also a version for foreign residents. The card is widely used in Belgium: in 2012, 99% of Belgian citizens over the age of 12 had the card, and in 2018 it was estimated that it was being actively used for online authentication by approximately 5 million unique users.
A USB smart card reader connected to a computer is necessary to use the card. End-users will also have to install the eaZyLink software to be able to use .beID. There are 2 PIN codes that are associated with the card, one for authentication and one for signing.
Belgium
