What is Smart-ID of Estonia and how it works
Smart-ID is an electronic authentication tool that helps you easily access government services and interact with your company from anywhere in the world.
Smart ID originates from the same digital IDs family as Estonian ID-card, Mobile-ID, and Estonian e-Residency. With these electronic documents, Estonian authorities can identify a person in the digital environment and provide you with remote access to government services.
A massive advantage of Smart-ID is that it requires only the app and a Wi-Fi connection. You don’t even need a SIM card. Proceed to Google Play or App Store, download the app and create your account.
In short, Smart-ID allows you to access public and commercial services, sign documents, and do so much more conveniently. Let’s go over the main features.
Login to E-Government Services
When you log in to Estonian e-services, you can choose the Smart-ID as an option. In fact, it works like e-Residency. The main difference is that with e-Residency you need to always have your card and card reader on hand.
Smart ID lets you log in to major government services in Estonia. However, there are two most useful services:
Maksu- ja Tolliamet — a website of the Estonian Tax and Customs Board;
e-Business Register — here you can change data related to your company and submit required documents;
Eesti.ee is a universal public services portal for citizens and residents which includes, in particular, the Doing Business section.
Another advantage of using Smart-ID is that it alerts you when your e-Residency card is about to expire. E-Residency cards are valid for 5 years. Then you must renew it to remain an e-Resident of Estonia.
But a renewal takes time. For example, the Estonian government suggests that you send in your application two to three months before your current e-Residency card expires.
In this case, Smart-ID can be a perfect interim solution to stay connected with e-services. Download and install Smart-ID before the expiration date and continue doing your online business until the new e-Residency card is ready.
Sign Documents with Smart-ID
You can also sign documents with Smart-ID. From the legal side, Smart-ID has been recognized as a QSCD (Qualified Signature Creation Device).
It generates a qualified electronic signature (QES level) that’s accepted throughout the European Union. Check the status of your Smart-ID signature in User Info and choose one of the following options:
Sign documents from a laptop or iPhone with Dokobit
Dokobit is one of the dozens of SaaS available with Smart-ID. You can use it through their website online, this add-in for Microsoft Word, or the AppStore application.
Sign documents from a computer with DigiDoc4 Client
This is the latest Estonian software that you can use for both checking the validity of documents you’ve received and signing documents you’re going to send.
If you have the choice, it’s preferable to have the final result of signing as a “filename.asice”, because this file format is a standard for all the EU.
Authorize Bank Payments
The top services you can access with Smart-ID are finance. Sign into your banking service and authorize payments from your bank account. Smart-ID goes well together with online banking that you have at such popular finance organizations as:
Smart-ID partners with many other services from Home to Insurance companies. A service that’s worth mentioning here is the Swedish telecommunications company Telia.
Telia provides not only home internet, but also an e-Sim service. Learn hot to get their e-sim card in this article.
Conclusion
Smart-ID is a great addition to your e-Residency card. As it provides easier access to various services. Visit their website to learn more.
Unfortunately, full automation of your paperwork and daily routine is not provided by government services out of the box. But that’s where Enty will help. Start with Enty to automate back-office of your company, issue invoices, create contracts, simplify hiring and delegate accounting to us. Save time for something that worth it and don’t waste it on paperwork.
