VIENTIANE: Laos has launched its LAeID digital identity application nationwide, giving citizens electronic access to their identity documents and gradually replacing paper household registration books and older national ID cards.
The Census Management and Grassroot Development Department under the Ministry of Public Security launched the system on 18 July.
LAeID connects to national citizen and ID databases, replacing paper documents and verifying citizens’ identities in digital environments. It lets users store and verify multiple official documents in one account, including ID cards, residence registration details, birth and marriage certificates, passports, driving licences and vehicle registrations.
Authorities said the system gives citizens faster, more secure access to their personal data and public services.
The ministry has urged citizens to download the app, create accounts and update their personal details so more people can use the platform.
Authorities also encourage government agencies, businesses and organisations to accept LAeID as a legal reference document for official transactions and administrative procedures. Officials confirmed that many procedures will no longer require a household registration book, since the digital system already holds that information.
Older national ID cards, including the previous white and green versions, will no longer work for administrative procedures, authorities said.
The nationwide rollout builds on a series of digital identity reforms Laos has introduced over the past year.
In August 2025, authorities announced plans to replace paper-based IDs with chip-equipped digital cards featuring biometric data and QR codes. Nationwide issuance of these cards began in December 2025, following a pilot phase in Vientiane Capital.
In March 2026, Laos announced it would also phase out paper household registration books, known as Family Books. Under that policy, citizens already entered into the national digital database use electronically generated household information certificates instead of paper documents.- laotian Times/ANN
