In recent months, the number of people with a Bund ID has skyrocketed. A good 2.8 million people are currently registered for a federal ID to identify online applications – according to the Federal Ministry of the Interior, there were only around 250,000 in January. The reason for the rapid increase is the one-off payment to students, with which the federal government covers the costs trying to cushion the increased energy prices. In order to get the 200 euros, students had to activate a federal ID.
More than 2.3 million students and schoolchildren have applied for the one-off payment since mid-March. As a result, the number of people who use the Bund-ID in connection with the online ID card has also risen significantly: 840,000 people have already registered for the function in the current year. In the whole of 2022 there were only 500,000, said Markus Richter, State Secretary in the Federal Ministry of the Interior, last week in Berlin. The online ID is one of several options for unlocking the Bund ID. Registration is also possible via the Elster certificate or by setting up a user account.
Bund-ID saves you having to go to the authorities for many applications
The Federal Ministry of the Interior provided the Bund-ID back in 2019, which is also known as the Bund user account. The response was limited until the very end: Not enough people use the offer or even know about it. The federal ID is the most secure and modern identification tool on the web, says State Secretary Richter: It is “the central element for digital administration”.
The most important advantage: people no longer have to appear at the authorities, wait there for their appointment and fill out pages of paper applications. With the Bund-ID, for example, it is possible to apply for parental allowance and student loans online. Since the end of April, some universities have been organizing enrollment in their courses via the Bund ID.
By the end of August, the Federal Ministry of the Interior wants to activate further services, including for tax consultants and for foreign employees, who can then have their professional qualifications recognized via the Bund-ID. By the end of the year, the Federal Employment Agency wants to integrate the federal ID.
Nobody has to download the federal ID, emphasizes Richter, the offer remains voluntary. Exactly this point had caused criticism with the energy flat rate. If only those who agree to the processing of their data get their money, that is not legal, criticized experts. Consent to data processing must always be given without coercion. The fact that it took students several months to get their money also caused outrage among study committees in several cities.
Wait for months – and then the system collapses
After the start, the system was initially overloaded. State Secretary Richter also confirmed the initial difficulties. After three days, however, the situation stabilized, despite the continued high number of applications. Since the Bund-ID was set up, only 27,000 people, and thus very few, have deleted the Bund-ID after applying for a one-off payment.
What is still missing so that the federal ID can be used everywhere: the federal states must adopt it for their own administration, otherwise there is a risk of a patchwork quilt. According to judges, several countries have already agreed to this or are already using the federal ID. Talks are being held with the others, including Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg. Which services citizens can take advantage of with the Bund-ID therefore varies from state to state. It is also possible that the name of the bundle ID will change again. This is required by several federal states, including Bavaria. The name question is to be clarified by autumn.
According to the plans of the Federal Ministry of the Interior, it should also soon be possible to save the identity card on the cell phone. Many smartphones are already able to recognize appropriately equipped ID cards with the help of an official ID app. In addition, it should be possible for citizens to link their ID card to their mobile phone and then show it at any time when they want to identify themselves. The Smart eID Act lays the foundation for this. The function should have started in autumn 2021. The introduction was delayed, however, and not all devices are technically equipped for it. The Federal Ministry of the Interior is currently working with a device manufacturer on the function.
According to Richter, the most important thing is safety. Two-factor identification must also continue to be guaranteed when the ID card is no longer needed. That is definitely possible in the future.