Frequently asked questions

General

What is eID-Me?

eID-Me is a smartphone app that verifies your identity and provides a digital identity that can be used to log in to websites password-free and prove specific pieces of identity information (e.g., name, address, date of birth) online and in person.

Click here to watch our eID-Me explainer video to learn more.

Is eID-Me a replacement for identity cards?

Currently, eID-Me is not a replacement for government-issued identity cards since many scenarios (such as law enforcement) still require your identity documents. New standards for mobile driver’s licences are currently being developed, and in the near future, we expect to see physical identity cards replaced by a mobile, electronic version as these standards become accepted by governments.

That being said, much of the information contained in eID-Me can be accepted in transactions today by service providers that trust the eID-Me identity. Some good examples of this are age verification and verified address.

How does eID-Me help individual users?

eID-Me gives you control of your identity on your phone and lets you use it online and in-person to securely prove your identity for government, financial, medical, and other services that require identity verification.

Once your identity has been verified, you can log in to supported services password-free and securely share specific pieces of information directly from your phone. You can share your name, address, age, phone number, medical information, and more, saving you time (no more long forms) and ensuring your information is correct (no more typos or miscommunication).

How does eID-Me help organizations?

eID-Me lets your organization verify the identity of users to comply with know your customer (KYC) regulations and to onboard new users quickly and easily, increasing customer acquisition. Your users can securely share their verified name, address, phone number, age, and more both online and in person. This saves you time (no more long forms) and eliminates errors from miscommunication and typos.

Once verified, users can access your services (password-free) using the identity on their phone, increasing convenience for the user and eliminating your need to manage passwords.

eID-Me enables easy and secure sharing of information from the user’s phone (with the user’s permission). As a result, you can opt to not store any of the user’s information and request it when needed. This eliminates the possibility of a data breach because organizations no longer have a centralized store of user information. User information is decentralized and secure on the users’ phones.

Where is eID-Me available?

eID-Me is now available across Canada.

What are the requirements to register for eID-Me?

Currently, to register for eID-Me, you will need:

An iPhone (with iOS 14 or later) OR an NFC-enabled Android phone (with Android 6 or later). To enable NFC (near-field communication) on Android, open the Settings app and tap “Connected devices” or a similar option like “Wireless & networks,” “Connections,” or “NFC,” and turn on NFC.
Access to the Canadian App Store or Google Play Store
One of the following ID cards (without an address sticker)
- Driver’s Licence
- Photo ID Card
- or BC Services Card
Physically be close enough to the address associated with your photo ID when you register
Recommended: passport to increase your Identity Assurance Level and likelihood of passing identity verification

What if I don’t meet the requirements?

Our goal is to securely accept as many users as possible. We're working on accepting more ID cards and implementing alternative methods of verification to allow more users to register. If you want, you can subscribe to updates at eid-me.com/join.

If you have one or more of the following ID that you want to test, please email us at info@bluink.ca to be added to our list of testers. We'll email you once your ID is ready for testing.

PR Card
Any Passport

Do you have another ID that you think should be in eID-Me? Let us know by emailing info@bluink.ca. We can't guarantee support for every ID card, but we're open to suggestions.

How do I register for eID-Me?

Once eID-Me is released in your location, if you meet the eID-Me requirements above, you will be able to register by downloading the eID-Me app from the App Store or Google Play Store.

If you’d like to help bring eID-Me support to your country, please join our eID-Me Members group and let us know.

What phones does eID-Me support?

eID-Me supports smartphones that run Android or iOS with the following versions:

iOS version 14 and higher
Android version 6 and higher

What happens if I lose my phone?

If you lose your phone, there are a couple of things to know. First your eID-Me identity information will be protected by your phone’s authentication methods (e.g., passcode and biometric). Your data remains safe provided no one can authenticate to your smartphone. Second, if your phone is really lost, you will need to re-register for an eID-Me identity on a new phone.

We recommend using strong authentication (e.g., passcode and fingerprint scan) to ensure that your phone can’t be accessed by other people if they find it.

We also recommend enabling “Find my iPhone” on iOS and “Find your Android device”. These features help you find your phone if you’ve lost it. They also let you remotely erase your phone’s data if you can’t find it.

How can I get eID-Me onto a new phone?

Your eID-Me identity can only exist on one phone at a time. If you get a new phone, there is a process to transfer (re-issue) your existing digital identity to your new phone. You must be in possession of both phones (your old phone and new phone) at the same time.

Note: This “identity transfer” feature is soon to be released.

It says "Failed to retrieve secret key from keychain..." I can't open my eID-Me app.

This can happen if you have restored your apps to a new smartphone or from a backup.

eID-Me can't be restored from a smartphone backup because eID-Me's encryption keys are tied to the smartphone's hardware. This increases security, but it also makes it harder to move eID-Me information around.

If you get a new smartphone, you will need to re-install eID-Me and re-register. (Note that we are soon releasing an identity transfer that will let you transfer your eID-Me identity onto a new smartphone and re-registering will no longer be necessary.)

What if I use someone else’s identity cards and photograph?

You likely won’t be able to pass the identity verification phase of registration because:

Liveness detection in the biometric would likely fail.
You would need to be at the individual’s home address.

Do I have to pay for my eID-Me identity?

In most cases, no, there is no fee to obtain an eID-Me digital identity. If third-party verification sources are used during the identity verification process, then there may be a small fee, however you will be informed prior to submission if any extra fees are required.

Does an eID-Me identity expire?

eID-Me identities have an expiry date five years after the date of issuance.

Can I add my eID or documents to Apple Wallet?

Currently, Apple Wallet only allows for integration through Wallet Passes with support for tickets, boarding passes, payment cards or similar passes, and it does not support integration of a digital identity. Additionally, the Bluink eID-Me digital wallet allows for password-free login to websites that connect to the Bluink federated login service. This is not a capability that can be supported with the Apple Wallet.

If in the future Apple does expose more wallet capabilities to developers, we will look at adopting them.

Registration

Is there a video tutorial to walk me through registration?

Why yes, yes there is. Click here to watch the eID-Me Registration Tutorial and Demo.

I never got the email.

Check the spam folder. Search for an email with the subject line “Reg Code Ready.”

The 'Register Now' link in the email is broken.

Open the email and scroll to the bottom to find a code, and copy it. Then open eID-Me, and tap “Input Manually.” Paste the code into the text box, and tap “Register.”

The email is formatted wrong in Apple Mail.

Try closing the Apple Mail app, reopening it, and viewing the email.

It says "Something went wrong... failed to begin registration."

You may have entered the same email twice. If your email is “example@gmail.com” you can use it again my tapping “Change Email” and typing “example+01@gmail.com” (use your email and add +01 before the @). This will send you a new email with a working link.

I don't want to give eID-Me my location.

Your location is necessary to ensure you are at the address listed on your identity documents. None of your data, including your location, is stored. Your location is only accessed once during registration. After registration you can turn off all permissions including location by going to your phone's settings.

I keep failing the liveness check.

Your face must be the only face visible to the camera and must be in view during the entire process. You will fail if there are any other people in the background.

I get stuck in the middle of the liveness check.

To restart the liveness check, aim your phone's camera away from all faces (e.g., point it at the ceiling). If one side of your face is lit up and the other side is in shadow, eID-Me might not be able to recognize you. Sometimes raising the phone up so the camera is looking down at you or turning to face another direction helps.

I don't like my picture.

You can repeat liveness as many times as you’d like to get a new photo, but your photo does not matter too much. The photo is not displayed anywhere in the app or saved after registration. It is only used to confirm your identity through biometric comparison with the photos on your identity documents. If your face is clearly visible, the photo is fine.

My card won't scan.

Here are some suggestions to improve scanning results.

Clean your smartphone camera lens. Dust or grime on your smartphone camera lens will impede eID-Me’s ability to accurately process some of the fine details of your identity documents. The lens can be cleaned by gently wiping it with a microfiber cloth.
Ensure your identity card is clean. eID-Me processes fine details on your identity cards such as the portrait photograph, logos and 2D barcodes. Dirt or damage on the card may cause the capture process to fail.
Place your identity cards on a plain black background. Do not hold the card with your hand as the capture process tries to find all of the boundaries and must be clear of obstructions. The background surface should be clear of any patterns or clutter.
Ensure adequate lighting. The capture process may also fail if the lighting is too dark. The camera flash is not used because this will cause glare, so you must find a location where there is good lighting.
Avoid glare from strong light sources. The capture process may fail if there are reflections or glare from strong light sources. Try to position yourself to remove any glare from the capture process.
Ensure all four sides of the card are visible. The capture process will fail if eID-Me cannot detect all four edges of the identity card. Ensure that all four edges are within the camera view as you are scanning. An overlay graphic on the capture view will help you guide the card to the correct position.
Ensure that there are no other edges in the frame. Only the card’s edges and the background should be in frame.

My passport chip won't scan.

If using an iPhone, skip to step 2. If using an Android phone, ensure NFC is enabled by going to Settings > Connections > NFC and Payment.
Close your passport and place it FACE DOWN on a flat surface.
Lay your phone on top of your passport so that the top of your phone covers the bottom third of your passport.
Wait three seconds. If the passport scan doesn’t succeed, move your phone one centimetre up or down. Wait three seconds, and move your phone again. The location of NFC readers varies by phone, so you may need multiple attempts.

I failed Biometric Match.

Your selfie did not match your identity photos. Take a new selfie by tapping add more documents and selecting selfie in the list of completed documents. You can also try re-scanning the front of your identity cards.

I failed Document Date Validity.

One of your identity documents is expired. Please renew it and try again.

I failed Document Consistency.

The information on your documents does not match. For example, your name on your passport may not match your name on your driver's licence.

I failed Closeness to Home.

Your phone’s location does not match the address on your documents. You must be within 100 meters of the address on your documents when you submit.

I received a timeout message.

The server took too long to process your submission. Please try again.

Why do I only get three tries for remote identity verification?

The remote identity verification process is meant to be both convenient and secure. The three-attempt limit is meant to curtail unlimited attempts by imposters to fraudulently pass the identity verification process.

What happens to my data when I submit for identity verification?

During identity verification, the information that you collect with your eID-Me smartphone app is securely stored on your phone. When this information is submitted to the eID-Me servers for verification, the information is destroyed after each failed attempt to pass identity verification. When the identity verification passes, your submitted information is transformed into a digital identity and awaits your confirmation before being installed on your phone. This information is also encrypted so that only the target phone can decrypt it, and it is retained for a maximum of two hours. Once the digital identity is installed on the phone, the information is destroyed on the eID-Me servers.

Does my data go to any third parties during identity verification?

In some cases, third party or government databases are used to provide additional verification sources for your identity information. You will be notified prior to submission whether this is the case with a consent agreement. Furthermore, there may be an additional cost depending on the type of third party services used. In this case you will also be informed of the cost prior to submission.

When using an ePassport and an additional identity document, there is no third-party involved in identity verification.

Usage

Where can I use eID-Me?

eID-Me will be integrating with various government and commercial services over time.

New services that support eID-Me will be announced to eID-Me Members via email and in the Facebook and Telegram groups. “Click here to join eID-Me Members.”

Do I need to hand over my phone to show my identity information?

No. For in-person transactions that support eID-Me, you do not need to hand over your phone. Instead, a local connection is created between your phone and the terminal you are interacting with. For example, this terminal could be a Point of Sale system or another mobile device held by a clerk or police officer.

Just like in the online use case, once the connection is made, you will see the request and can choose the information you wish to share.

What if I forget my phone at home? What if my phone's battery dies?

Your eID-Me phone contains your identity information and private key, which are necessary to perform eID-Me transactions. If you don't have your phone or your phone's battery is dead, then you won’t be able to do any eID-Me transactions.

Is eID-Me a replacement for identity cards?

What is the "Use my eID" button and QR code used for?

Tapping the "Use my eID" button displays a QR code, which can be scanned by organizations that have integrated eID-Me.

Scanning your QR code connects your eID-Me app to the organization's system via a secure Bluetooth connection. Once connected, an ID request is sent to your eID-Me app, which shows what information is being requested and the name of the organization that's making the request.

You can choose to either approve or deny the ID request. Approving the request sends the requested ID information to the organization's system and then ends the Bluetooth connection. Denying the request ends the Bluetooth connection.

After I approve an identity request on my phone, the eID-Me website keeps loading and nothing happens. What do I do?

Try clearing your browser data. If that doesn’t work, try restarting your browser or try a different browser.

Security and Privacy

What happens to my data when I submit for identity verification?

Does my data go to any third parties during identity verification?

When using an ePassport and an additional identity document, there is no third-party involved in identity verification.

How is my identity information protected?

Your eID-Me information is encrypted on your phone and bound to your phone's authentication methods (e.g., passcode and biometric). The only way to access this information is by unlocking your phone. The eID-Me app can also be configured to auto-lock after a period of time, and you can set specific pieces of identity information to require reauthentication. Unlocking the app or using one of those protected pieces of identity information will require that you authenticate to your phone.

Information that you share during an eID-Me transaction first goes to the eID-Me Identity Provider (IdP) for verification. If the information and digital signatures are validated, then the requested identity claims are sent on to the relying party. What a relying party does with your shared information is not within the control of eID-Me. As a general rule, you should only send the information that a relying party absolutely needs, and you should also be aware of its privacy policy.

What precautions are taken to protect the information during transmission?

Communication between phones and eID-Me servers is protected using public key encryption. The server and phone exchange public keys during the registration process. From that point forward, transmission from party one to the other uses the other party’s public key for message-level encryption. This is in addition to the TLS secure sessions that are also set up for secure communication.

Who has access to my identity information?

No identity information is stored in the eID-Me identity provider or in the eID-Me registration server. Some relying parties that you interact with may keep identity information that you send to them. eID-Me has no control over that. Other than that, the only entity that has access to your identity information is you.

Does eID-Me track my transactions?

No. The eID-Me servers do not track your transactions. The only place where detailed transaction information is retained within the eID-Me solution is your phone.

It is possible that some relying parties collect transaction information. These services are beyond the control of eID-Me. You should consult the privacy policies of the relying parties that you transact with if you have concerns about their usage of transaction information.

Where is my transaction history stored?

Your transaction history is stored locally in your eID-Me smartphone app. You can view your transaction history details, delete them, and even disable transaction history completely via the eID-Me settings.

Why would I trust Bluink with my identity information?

Bluink has none of your data. Bluink’s servers and apps have undergone independent third-party security assessments to assure that no identity information is kept by the servers and that the information on your phone is well-protected with the best security practices in the industry.

Why would I trust the government with my identity information?

The government already has records of your identity information. eID-Me is not adding to that store of information. In fact, eID-Me is trying to remove the burden from government services of being custodian of your data wherever possible.

What happens if I lose my phone?

We recommend using strong authentication (e.g., passcode and fingerprint scan) to ensure that your phone can’t be accessed by other people if they find it.

What if someone steals my phone?

Your identity data is safe on your phone, provided no one can access your phone using your PIN, passcode, or biometric scan. We recommend using a strong PIN or passcode and we recommend turning on biometric if available.

Re-registering eID-Me on a new phone with the same email address you used to register your old phone will disable eID-Me on your old phone.

What if my phone is rooted?

A rooted phone is a risk for any application that has sensitive information. We do our best to detect if your phone is rooted and will not let registration continue if it is. Should your phone be very badly compromised such that root detection on the phone is not working, we can still let the user check the rooted status of his phone using the eID-Me registration service in an out-of-band mode.