[Cesura]

In short: extremely convenient.

In addition to enabling me to use practically every government service from my couch (and signing legally binding contracts!), the eID system has expanded to become a single sign-on method for many more things. For example, if I would want to change my ISP or mobile carrier, I'm able to log into the new provider's site without any prior registration and have an account with my identity already verified. Even random e-shops will provide this as a login option, and then upon checkout I can use the very same authentication method to confirm the transaction with my bank.

Also, with the advent of Smart-ID (https://www.smart-id.com), I don't even need to pull out my card reader for any of this.

The only government interaction that has required me to be physically present in an office was when the residence permit + ID card were issued to me in the first place.

(For reference, I moved to Estonia from the US in the beginning of 2020)

[alberth]

How are you verified? Is there a biometric at time of authentication?

[Cesura]

Sorry, perhaps "verified" was a misnomer. Verified to the extent that I am in possession of a factor (ID card with chip or phone with registered Smart-ID certs) and a memorized PIN (one for authentication and one for signing).