According to the report, the e-Certs will be loaded on the ID cards at the time of issue at the holder’s request, and will be offered without charge for the first year. Under Hong Kong legislation, digital signatures supported by the e-Cert have the same legal status as handwritten signatures.
The smart cards will replace all existing 6.8 million Hong Kong ID cards by 2007. The new ID cards, valid from June 2005, will contain a memory chip that can also be programmed as a driving licence and library card.