Andonovski announces m.Uslugi launch on October 28 at Philharmonic

The Government of North Macedonia will officially present the new mobile application m.Uslugi on October 28 at the Macedonian Philharmonic, Minister for Digital Transformation Stefan Andonovski announced during an appearance on MRT1's Dnevnik.

Andonovski said the app will gather citizens' electronic documents and selected public services in one place, allow access to a digital version of the ID card and driving licence, and initially offer three services for users. He added that the app is in the final testing phase and will be available for free download on Google Play and the App Store.

Login through the national portal and plans to expand

The minister explained that users will sign in with their account on the National Portal for Electronic Services – uslugi.gov.mk to reach their documents and the app's features. Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski is scheduled to speak at the launch about the government's digitalisation priorities.

Andonovski described the initiative as a step toward a broader digital wallet and stressed that downloading the app will be voluntary. In his words: "This will be our first step toward the digital wallet. The application is free to download and is not mandatory, but it will offer many new conveniences. We will focus on making the state available on the mobile phone, i.e. at the palm."

He also said authorities are holding talks with the Ministry of Health about linking data from the m.Zdravje system and with the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy, Demography and Youth on the European Youth Card, with the ultimate goal of turning m.Uslugi into a single digital wallet containing multiple documents and services.

Regarding formal acceptance of electronic documents by institutions, Andonovski warned the process will be gradual because it requires changes to secondary legislation and strengthened institutional capacity; he recalled that amendments were made to roughly 100 laws when other electronic documents were accepted.

Andonovski noted that the European Union expects mandatory use of the digital handbook from 2027, but reiterated domestic use of the app will not be compulsory: "There is no mandatory use here, but at the same time we will make efforts for institutions to start accepting electronic documents. That will be a process, because sublegal acts will have to be changed. Step by step, as we build capacities, their acceptance will expand."

Concluding, he said early public reactions have been mostly positive: "So far I hear only positive comments, and we will do everything necessary for this to function in the interest of citizens."

Photo: Printskrin