Digital IDs Could Soon Cross Borders in ASEAN

Southeast Asian governments are working to make national digital IDs usable across borders. Officials say a Thai driver’s license could soon be verified at a Malaysian checkpoint with a QR scan, or a Filipino engineer’s credentials checked in seconds for a job in Brunei.

The plan, backed by the World Bank Group, rests on “verifiable credentials,” digitally signed documents that can be authenticated instantly through a smartphone wallet, replacing paper and manual checks. A person could prove their age with a QR scan without revealing other identity details.

Digital ID is already widespread in the region. Vietnam’s VNeID has over 67 million users, Singapore’s Singpass covers 97 percent of residents, and Indonesia’s IKD app has 21 million users. Rather than one regional system, the World Bank wants shared rules so these national systems can recognize each other, similar to the EU’s plan for common digital wallets by 2026.

Officials favor a phased rollout, starting with driving licenses and business credentials before moving to sensitive documents like national IDs. Thailand, with its 33-million-user ThaID app, is seen as a likely frontrunner. ASEAN officials met in Bangkok last week to discuss a regional roadmap, ahead of the IMF-World Bank Group Annual Meetings due in the city this October.

Officials say success will hinge less on technology than on governments building enough mutual trust to make the system work.