Digital Era: Digital Population Identity Becomes Key to Public Services

As times change, the substance of Law Number 24 of 2013 on Population Administration (Adminduk) also needs to be amended, supplemented or repealed. The aim is to ensure it remains in step with an era of continuous transformation.

The government must adapt to the digital government era, in which the Digital Population Identity (Identitas Kependudukan Digital, or IKD) has become the key to public services. The IKD at the Ministry of Home Affairs serves as a foundational digital identity required for all government services, whilst prioritising the protection of personal data.

Both the electronic identity card (KTP-el) and the IKD contain the National Identity Number (NIK), which now serves as the basis for cross-sector integration. The NIK is used across public and private services ranging from driving licences, passports and BPJS health insurance to taxation, banking and social assistance programmes.

The Director-General of Population and Civil Registration (Dukcapil) at the Ministry of Home Affairs emphasised the need to revise the Adminduk Law to reflect current developments. With NIK functioning as a single identity number, citizens need only record their biometric data once, after which all services can be accessed digitally in a safe and efficient manner.

The IKD is now part of Indonesia’s digital public infrastructure (DPI), alongside the QRIS digital payment system and the Government Service Connection System (Sistem Penghubung Layanan Pemerintah, or SPLP). Together, these systems form the backbone of the country’s efforts to digitise governance and streamline access to public services for all citizens.