The expert consultants from the Telecommunications Management Group (TMG) returned to the Maldives to present the first draft of the Maldives Digital Identity Bill. The bill was drafted after the first consultation meetings and the workshop held last May.

The first draft was also shared with 21 government organizations for commenting. Additionally, the D’MADD project, with the intention of obtaining as much feedback as possible, opted to open the draft for public comments. Seventeen parties submitted written input to the bill by the end of the mission.

The feedback, where appropriate and to date, was included in the draft presentation that continued from 15 to 19 June 2025.

As in the previous instance, individual sessions were conducted with key stakeholders and users of the Maldives' current digital identity system, “eFaas”. At the first meeting with the Ministry of Homeland Security and Technology, the National Centre for Information Technology leadership presented the draft, incorporating comments from the feedback received to date. The team also highlighted that the concerns raised by stakeholders will be discussed during individual meetings to gain a deeper understanding of the concerns. This will enable consultants to provide professional expertise, leading to a common understanding and a more robust draft bill that addresses these concerns. The meeting with MoHST and NCIT was attended by Dr. Mohamed Kinaanath (Minister of State), Abdulla Anees (Deputy Minister), Mohamed Mauroof (Deputy Minister),  Hussain Mohamed (IT Manager, IT Infrastructure / ZV), Hussain Shifau (IT Executive),  Shazra Mohamed Saeed (Project Manager), Hany Nasyr (Senior Software Engineer) and Hussain Naushad (Senior Government Digital Service Specialist)

The team also met with the Attorney General’s Office at Velaana Building on the same date. This was a courtesy call where the team clarified some legal processes to submit the bill and how areas such as penalisation actions should be addressed as per the current legal system in the Maldives. Dr. Waheed explained that this bill was part of the broader digital services legislative package and stressed the importance of the Personal Data Protection Act and the Cyber Security Act to be submitted to the Majlis. The Maldives Digital Identity bill builds on the foundations laid by these, he added.

The Consultants then met with the eFaas developers’ team at NCIT. The team explained the necessary system changes that would be implemented once the bill is passed.

On 16th June 2025, the consultants met with the Maldives Immigration and the X-PAT team separately. The X-PAT team, a department under the MoHST, issues and maintains Work Permits for expatriates. Additionally, the Maldives Immigration maintains a registry of long-term stays for foreigners, including those on marriage visas. Both institutions are identified as source of truth identity providers for individuals, alongside the Department of National Registrations, which maintains the Maldivian Civil Registry.

Additional meetings were held with Tradenet Maldives Corporation Limited, the banking sector consisting of the Maldives Monetary Authority, Bank of Maldives, and the Maldives Islamic Bank, the telecom sector consisting of the Communications Authority of Maldives, Dhiraagu, and Ooreedoo. The consultants' team took note of their concerns and scheduled them for further discussion.

The team met with the Ministry of Finance and Planning on the 17th of June. The MoFP requested additional time to provide written comments on the technicalities of the bill. The MoFP team then guided the consultants on addressing the financial aspects of the bill and advised on how to proceed with the Ministry on those components. These were mainly expenditure and costing to implement and sustain the enforcement of the bill, as well as the revenue generated.

The next meeting with the Department of National Registration focused on the future development plans of the CRVSID system, including integration with eFaas and potential policy changes that could impact the current draft, as well as their concerns regarding the draft.

The team also met with the technical teams from NCIT, DNR, XPAT and Maldives Immigration, jointly on the 19th of June, to define the timelines of compliance required by each respective organization in their role in legalising the Maldives Digital Identity.

In summary, the bill was generally accepted with the majority of concerns pivoting around the governance, accountability and responsibility mechanisms presented in the draft. These concerns were given to the policy team of MoHST and NCIT on the 19th of June 2025.

The TMG team consisted of Mr. Daniel Leza (Legal Expert / Team Leader), Mr. Evan Clarke (Digital ID Specialist) and Uz. Hassan Maaz Shareef (Local Legal Expert). Dr. Ibrahim Waheed (Project Manager) and Mr. Ahmed Haleem (Communications Specialist) participated in the D’MADD project.