Digital IDs Now Available for the Republic of Palau on Solana

Solana users can mint digital IDs for Palau, enhancing global digital residency options.

The Pacific island nation of Palau has partnered with decentralized identity protocol RNS.ID to issue digital residency IDs on the Solana blockchain. Announced by RNS.ID on Twitter, this initiative marks the first instance of a sovereign nation providing legal identity on Solana.

Launched in 2022, Palau's digital residency program allows global citizens to acquire residency backed by the nation without the need for physical presence. The first Legal Decentralized ID (DID) was minted in September 2023 on Ethereum, with Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin in attendance.

For $248, users can apply for a Palau digital residence card via the RNS.ID platform, which offers a visa extension up to 180 days and provides anonymity for accessing cryptocurrency exchanges otherwise restricted by location.

"It's exciting to see Palau using Solana now for their IDs. From the documentary we did on the ID system they're building, we could see they had the right ideas at the right time and were getting some market traction. I expect that to continue now with this new initiative," George Harrap, co-founder of Step Finance, remarked.

The Palau government ensures a thorough vetting process, including anti-money laundering and identity verification checks, which take up to 10 days. Since September 2023, RNS.ID has issued 7,338 digital residencies.

Decentralized identity systems are touted as one of the most impactful applications of blockchain technology. Companies like MicroStrategy and Shiba Inu are also developing digital identity systems. Worldcoin, backed by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, is another major player, with solutions like World ID for verifying e-sport player identities.

photo source / Blockonome