Cambodia is presently developing a digital ID system known as the Integrated Population Identification System (IPIS). It is based on the 2023 Law on CRVSID and National Strategic Plan of Identification 2017-2026 (NSPI). The goal of this legal and policy framework is captured in the language of ‘one person, one identity and universal legal identity for all persons in the country’.[15] As of 2025, the Royal Government of Cambodia has not yet publicly confirmed the dates for the nationwide rollout of the IPIS or a standalone digital ID. The IPIS is part of an effort to digitize crucial identity documents, including birth certificates, national identity cards, and passports.[16] The IPIS assigns a unique Khmer Identification Code (KIDC) to everyone at the time of birth registration, which serves as their lifetime identifier.[17] The NSPI confirms that a single lifelong identity code is intended to support a unified population database so that people’s personal information is up to date and can be used to deliver public and private services more efficiently.[18]
Cambodia has also developed a mobile application called CamDigiKey that allows individuals to authenticate themselves digitally in order to access government services and register a digital identity.[19] Users must enroll and then use the application for secure login and digital signatures when accessing online services provided through government portals.[20] In addition, verify.gov.kh is Cambodia’s national digital platform for verifying the authenticity of official documents as part of the country’s digital public infrastructure.[21] Verify.gov.kh is described by the Ministry of Post and Telecommunications (MPTC) and associated partners as the Cambodian government’s official platform for document verification.[22] It allows citizens, businesses and government institutions to view, check and verify any document issued by a government agency or participating educational institution that carries a standard QR code.[23]
IPIS can be considered as a foundational digital ID system because it is intended to provide universal legal identity and to serve as a base layer for access to a wide range of public services.[24] IPIS and CamDigiKey are not a marker of citizenship. Instead, these digital ID initiatives aim to provide legal identity to all residents.[25] The primary goal is to ensure that every resident has a recognized legal identity.[26]
As the digital identity system in Cambodia is still at its early stages of implementation, it remains unclear whether or not the digital identity is mandatory.[27] The Civil Registration Department of Cambodia noted that it faces challenges in raising public awareness across various sectors such as overcoming geographic barriers, especially in remote areas with limited internet access.[28] Cambodia’s CRVS, under the new law, is intended to cover registration of births, deaths, marriages and divorces for citizens and non-citizens, including stateless residents of Cambodia.[29] Vital Strategies’ ‘Identity for All’ article frames the 2023 Law on CRVSID as a step toward ensuring that ‘everyone in the country is counted,’ but focuses primarily on people lacking proof of existence rather than on detailed categories of non-citizens, stateless persons or refugees.[30] However, accessible public documents do not yet clearly specify whether stateless persons or non-citizen residents are entitled to the new biometric eID card or to CamDigiKey accounts.
