Lost ID cards become invalid after being handed to the police

According to the Police and Border Guard Board (PPA), if a lost identity document—such as a passport, ID card, or driver's license—is found and handed to the police, it becomes invalid. Police Lieutenant Marit Abram from the Identity and Statuses Bureau advises that the document should be given to the police rather than being shared on social media to locate the owner. "When a document has been lost, it is impossible to know whose hands it has been in or where it has been, which means it is no longer safe to continue using it," she explained.

The risk of identity theft becomes especially significant if a wallet is lost along with the document's PIN codes. "Even if the PIN codes were not lost together with the document, you still need to be careful. Someone could photograph the document and use it, for example, for services where a photo of the document is sufficient," Abram stated, adding that such images can now be misused with the help of artificial intelligence.

Digital identification has been available via the Eesti app since last year. The Information System Authority (RIA), which manages the app, confirmed that the Eesti app does not display a document or create a new type of document. The document shown there is equivalent to a physical document without its PIN codes. However, the PPA is not yet certain whether losing a phone should be treated similarly, noting that the issue has not been discussed.

Last year, the PPA recorded 186 cases of identity theft. Since 2022, the annual number of cases has ranged from 137 to 214. At the same time, the police do not have precise statistics on how many of those cases were linked to the loss of an identity document.