Belarus, Russia plan to sign e-signature agreement in April

"Electronic documents are signed with an electronic digital signature. Everyone is used to an USB token. SIM cards are already in use too. There are also ID-cards for citizens, which are also a means of EDS. On 10 April First Deputy Director of the National Center for Electronic Services Andrei Filipenko confirmed that there are plans to introduce a cloud-based electronic digital signature by the end of 2025. This should really expand the use of EDS," Pavel Tkach said.

Belarusians are also looking forward to the possibility of using national digital signatures for cross-border interaction, primarily with the Russian Federation, with which the country has the largest trade. Presidential Decree No. 72 of 28 February 2024 approved a draft intergovernmental agreement between Belarus and Russia on the recognition of an electronic signature (electronic digital signature) in an electronic document in cross-border electronic interaction. "The agreement is expected to be signed on 15 April. After that, a number of other issues will need to be resolved, including the purchase of equipment, pilot projects, and testing. Nevertheless, I believe that this is a very important step that will allow us to use our national digital signatures as authorized signatures in Russia. This opens up new opportunities for business," Pavel Tkach emphasized.
He noted that the Taxes and Duties Ministry, the Finance Ministry, the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, the Operational and Analysis Center under the Belarusian President, the Communications and Informatization Ministry have done a lot of work to develop an electronic document management system in Belarus. There are requests from business to other government agencies for the transition to electronic interaction. "We are creating digital platforms in the interests of government agencies that are addressing this issue," Pavel Tkach added.