Signal Laos Launches Nationwide Digital ID App, Phasing Out Paper Documents

Summary

Laos's Census Management and Grassroot Development Department, under the Ministry of Public Security, launched the LAeID digital identity application nationwide on July 18, 2026, giving citizens electronic access to official documents and gradually replacing paper household registration books and older national ID cards. The app connects to national citizen and ID databases, letting users store and verify identity cards, residence registration, birth and marriage certificates, passports, driving licenses, and vehicle registrations in one account. Authorities are encouraging government agencies, businesses, and organizations to accept LAeID as a legal reference document, and many procedures will no longer require a paper household registration book. Older white and green national ID cards will no longer work for administrative procedures. The rollout builds on a digital ID program launched in July 2024, with a Vientiane pilot in October 2025 and nationwide card issuance beginning December 17, 2025, supported by strategic advice from Vietnam and funding and technical assistance from Japan (including NEC and Ryobi Systems).