Belarus is preparing a “Digital Documents” app: a passport could be shown via QR code

Belarus is preparing a mobile app called "Digital Documents". It will let people show their passport and other documents from a smartphone via QR code, without paper originals. Yahor Voranau, head of the information technology department at the National Center for Electronic Services, told journalists about the project on 21 October.

The project was presented at a press conference at the House of the Press. State media report that the app is being prepared for launch. It will store and present digital versions of the passport, driving licence and vehicle registration certificate. It can also be used for authorisation in information systems.

According to the project description, the service will allow people to show documents using a smartphone and to pass on the necessary data without paper copies. The app will work on devices running Android and iOS.

To get access to their documents, users will have to confirm their identity, pass a biometric check and link a phone number.

Blockchain technologies are planned to protect the authenticity of the digital documents. The project's technological basis is similar to solutions used in Estonia and other countries with developed digital identification.

Voranau, as reported, stressed that special attention has been paid to data protection. The QR code is only a key that systems use to exchange information, not a store of data about a person.

Verification is multi-stage: a biometric match of the user's image, a comparison of the photo with data from the state register, and a linked phone number.

The code indeed contains no personal data, but the access procedure itself relies on the state register and on the phone number. The project description does not say what happens in the event of a failure or leak.

The National Center for Electronic Services has another service, the E-Pasluha app. According to state media, the data in it, including personal data, is protected by a terminal mode of operation with cryptographic transformations under Belarusian standards. A personal account on E-Pasluha is activated at first login.

According to the center's representative, people will no longer have to carry a stack of papers: the necessary data will be in the app. He also said the risk of losing a document or forgetting it at home will be lower.

For staff at organisations, as follows from his words, the benefit is different: they will be able to receive reliable information automatically, without manual entry. This should reduce the likelihood of errors and speed up service. Paper originals, according to the project description, will not be required when presenting a passport and other documents.

The pilot launch is planned to involve identity documents and vehicle registration documents. Electronic vehicle inspection documents, which have been issued since 2024, will also be included.

State media claim that the app's mechanisms have already been tested. It is not yet known when the pilot will begin or how soon the service will reach all users.

State media present the project as part of a consistent move of state services into digital format, which makes them more accessible and convenient for people. This is the assessment of the state media themselves, not the result of an independent check.

In December 2025, the All-Belarusian People's Assembly approved digital transformation as a development priority for the country through 2030. Back in April 2024, the Ministry of Communications and Informatisation reported that it oversees the state programme "Digital Development of Belarus for 2021–2025".