Nauru has yet to establish a digital ID system, but is planning to do so in the next 5 years.[8]Nauru’s National Digital Transformation Strategy 2025-2030 (Strategy) sets out plans to develop digital public infrastructure, including streamlining public services, digitizing Nauru’s current systems, and implementing a national digital ID system.[9]The Strategy “aims to create a digitally inclusive society where all citizens have access to digital services and the skills to use them effectively”.[10]Despite one of the strategic objectives of the Strategy being inclusivity, only Nauru citizens’ access is mentioned.[11]According to the Strategy, Nauru’s digital ID system will allow for “secure and efficient delivery of public services” through an online portal, which will make it a functional ID.[12]It is unclear at this stage whether it will be possible to access public services without a digital ID.
In the design of the digital ID system, the Strategy also mentions “ensuring its security and privacy, integrating it with other digital services, and promoting its adoption among citizens”.[13] Nauru hopes to have its digital ID system in place by June 2027 and be “widely adopted” with the whole population recorded by 2030.[14]This suggests that the digital ID system may be intended to eventually become mandatory in order to achieve this level of adoption.
