Diia

Diia is the Ukrainian government’s digital-services brand, centered on a mobile application and web portal that give citizens access to identity documents, public services, and selected government interactions. The Ukrainian name, Дія, means “action” and also functions as an abbreviation of Derzhava i Ya, or “State and Me.” The service was developed as part of Ukraine’s State in a Smartphone program, an effort to move routine interactions between citizens, businesses, and public authorities into a unified digital environment. The brand was first presented in September 2019 by Ukraine’s Ministry of Digital Transformation. The ministry described a future in which people could use a single digital channel for services that had traditionally required paper documents, physical visits, or multiple government offices. The Diia mobile application officially launched on February 6, 2020. Its initial focus included digital versions of driving licences and vehicle-registration documents, allowing users to display official credentials from a smartphone rather than carry physical documents. During 2020, the platform expanded rapidly. The Ukrainian government approved an experimental framework for digital identity cards and passports, and the October 2020 Diia 2.0 update added more documents, simplified document sharing, and increased the number of services available through the portal. These services included business registration and other administrative procedures. By the end of 2020, the application reportedly had more than six million users, while the portal offered approximately 50 services. The portal subsequently grew to more than 130 government services according to the English-language Wikipedia description. A major legal milestone came in 2021, when Ukraine adopted legislation recognizing digital identity documents as equivalent to their physical counterparts for use within the country. This made Diia more than a convenience application: it became an important part of the country’s official identity and public-service infrastructure. Later functions included vehicle registration and additional administrative transactions. In September 2024, Diia introduced online marriage registration, a service of particular relevance to military personnel and couples separated by wartime conditions. The marriage-registration feature was included in Time’s 2024 list of inventions; during its first month, the service reportedly drew more than 1.1 million proposal attempts and resulted in 435 marriages. Diia’s operating model is broader than a conventional app. It includes the consumer-facing mobile application, the Diia web portal, digital-document verification and sharing, and supporting public-sector data and legal infrastructure. Ukraine’s digital-government architecture also relies on the Trembita data-exchange system and related administrative modernization initiatives, although these are not themselves consumer products of the Diia brand. The government’s longer-term ambition is to make most interactions between the state, citizens, and businesses available digitally. The platform is positioned around convenience, reduced bureaucracy, lower reliance on paper, and more direct citizen access to government. Supporters also associate it with greater administrative efficiency, transparency, and reduced opportunities for corrupt in-person transactions. The service has attracted international interest: Diia was developed with support from the United States, and USAID Administrator Samantha Power said in 2023 that the United States hoped to replicate its success in other countries. The model also faces structural risks. Digital public records create cybersecurity and privacy concerns, while uneven internet access and digital literacy can exclude some users. In May 2020, records said to contain millions of Ukrainian driving licences appeared online. Ukrainian authorities stated that the incident was not connected to the Diia application, but the episode intensified public debate about government databases, data protection, and the security of digital identity systems. Diia therefore represents both Ukraine’s flagship e-government modernization effort and an ongoing test of how a state can deliver essential services digitally during periods of institutional and wartime pressure.

Diia emerged from Ukraine’s State in a Smartphone initiative, a government program intended to consolidate public services and official documents into a digital environment. The Ministry of Digital Transformation presented the concept on September 27, 2019. Mykhailo Fedorov, then serving as Vice Prime Minister and Minister of Digital Transformation, described a mobile application and web portal through which citizens and businesses could interact with the state without repeatedly visiting government offices or carrying paper records. The Diia application was officially launched on February 6, 2020. Its initial functionality included digital driving licences and vehicle-registration documents. At the launch presentation, President Volodymyr Zelensky and Prime Minister Oleksiy Honcharuk framed the project as a central government priority and as a practical step toward a more digital public sector. In April 2020, the government approved experimental use of digital identity cards and passports issued through the platform. The first major expansion came with the Diia 2.0 release presented at the Diia Summit on October 5, 2020. The application received additional document types and a mechanism for sharing documents through a single action. The web portal expanded to 27 services, including the ability to register a private limited company. By the end of that year, the application reportedly had more than six million users and the portal offered about 50 services. The English-language Wikipedia account later described the portal as providing access to more than 130 government services. In March 2021, Ukraine’s parliament adopted legislation giving digital identity documents the same legal standing as their physical equivalents within Ukraine. From August 23, 2021, Ukrainian citizens could use digital identity cards and passports for domestic purposes. This legal change established Diia as a formal component of the country’s identity-document system rather than merely an optional digital convenience. The platform continued expanding into additional administrative functions. Vehicle registration became available through the application, with licence plates issued under special Diia-related codes rather than conventional regional codes. In September 2024, Diia added online marriage registration. The service was especially relevant in the context of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, since military personnel and other citizens may be separated from partners by frontline or wartime duties. Time subsequently included the marriage service in its 2024 inventions list. Diia’s development is supported by wider Ukrainian digital-government infrastructure, including the Trembita data-exchange solution and legal and administrative reforms intended to make public data interoperable. The project also benefited from cooperation with the United States. In 2023, USAID Administrator Samantha Power expressed interest in replicating the model internationally, indicating that Diia had become a reference point in discussions about digital public infrastructure. The platform’s benefits include convenience, lower dependence on paper, faster service delivery, and potentially fewer opportunities for corrupt transactions created by face-to-face bureaucracy. Its limitations include the digital divide, reliance on connectivity and smartphones, cybersecurity risks, and the need for strong privacy and data-governance rules. A May 2020 incident involving the online appearance of data reportedly covering millions of Ukrainian driving licences increased scrutiny of state information security. The government said the Diia application was not linked to the incident, but the episode demonstrated the broader risks associated with storing and exchanging official documents electronically.

• 2024

  Online marriage registration added

  [1]Diiaen.wikipedia.org

  Diia introduced remote online marriage registration for eligible couples.

• 2021

  Digital documents receive legal equivalence

  [1]Diiaen.wikipedia.org

  Ukrainian legislation recognized Diia digital identity documents as equivalent to physical documents for domestic use.

• 2020

  Diia application launches

  [1]Diiaen.wikipedia.org

  The mobile application began offering digital driving licences and vehicle-registration documents.

• 2020

  Digital identity-document experiment approved

  [1]Diiaen.wikipedia.org

  The Ukrainian government approved experimental use of digital identity cards and passports through Diia.

• 2020

  Diia 2.0 introduced

  [1]Diiaen.wikipedia.org

  A major update added document types, document sharing, and more online government services.

• 2019

  State in a Smartphone initiative presented

  [1]Diiaen.wikipedia.org

  Ukraine’s Ministry of Digital Transformation publicly presented the concept that would become the Diia mobile application and web portal.

A unified, mobile-first government-services platform designed to make interactions with the Ukrainian state faster, more accessible, and less dependent on paper documents or in-person administration.

• Mobile government-services application · 2020

  Diia mobile application

  The core smartphone application provides access to digital versions of selected official documents and government functions. Its early services included driving licences and vehicle-registration documents, while later updates added identity documents, passports, document sharing, vehicle-related transactions, and civil-status services. The application is designed to let users present or transmit verified information without carrying physical documents.

• Online public-services portal · 2020

  Diia web portal

  The web portal brings Ukrainian government services into a consolidated online interface for citizens and businesses. Services described in the source material include business registration and other administrative procedures. The portal expanded from an initial set of services in 2020 to more than 130 services according to the English-language Wikipedia description.

• Digital identity · 2020

  Digital passports and identity cards

  Diia provides digital representations of Ukrainian identity documents, including passports and identity cards. Following 2021 legislation, these digital documents received legal equivalence to physical counterparts for domestic use, making the service an official identity channel rather than only a document-storage feature.

• Civil-status service · 2024

  Online marriage registration

  Introduced in September 2024, the online marriage service enables eligible couples to complete marriage-registration procedures remotely. It was designed in part to serve citizens separated by wartime conditions, including military personnel. The service received international attention after appearing in Time’s 2024 inventions list.

• 2020

  Exposure of driving-licence records

  In May 2020, information reportedly covering 26 million driving licences appeared publicly online. Ukrainian authorities said the Diia application was not connected to the incident. The event nevertheless raised concerns about the security of government databases, the protection of digital identity information, and the risks of expanding official document storage and exchange online.

  Source

Read more

• 2024

  Introduce online marriage registrationProduct launch

  Background

  Citizens needed a remote civil-status option, particularly when war and military service separated couples geographically.

  Action taken

  Diia launched an online marriage-registration service in September 2024.

  Aftermath

  The service attracted substantial public attention and was included in Time’s 2024 inventions list.

  Source

• 2021

  Give digital identity documents legal equivalenceOther

  Background

  Digital documents needed formal legal recognition to replace physical identity documents in everyday domestic transactions.

  Action taken

  Ukraine adopted legislation recognizing Diia digital identity documents as equivalent to physical documents within the country.

  Aftermath

  Diia became an officially recognized identity channel for Ukrainian citizens.

  Source

• 2020

  Launch a unified digital government-services platformProduct launch

  Background

  Ukraine sought to reduce paper-based administration and consolidate interactions between the state, citizens, and businesses.

  Action taken

  The Ministry of Digital Transformation introduced the Diia application and web portal under the State in a Smartphone program.

  Aftermath

  The platform became the foundation for later digital identity, business, vehicle, and civil-status services.

  Source

• 2020

  Expand the service through Diia 2.0Generation change

  Background

  The initial application had established digital documents but required broader coverage and easier document sharing.

  Action taken

  Diia 2.0 added more document types, one-tap document sharing, and additional portal services.

  Aftermath

  The portal broadened its administrative role and the user base exceeded six million by the end of 2020.

  Source

• 2024

  Online marriage registration launches[1]Diiaen.wikipedia.org

  Product launch

  Diia introduced online marriage registration, enabling eligible couples to complete the process remotely.

• 2021

  Ukraine gives digital identity documents legal equivalence[1]Diiaen.wikipedia.org

  Regulation

  Parliament adopted legislation recognizing Diia digital identity documents as equivalent to physical documents for domestic use.

• 2020

  Diia mobile application officially launched[1]Diiaen.wikipedia.org

  Product launch

  Ukraine formally launched the Diia application, initially providing digital access to driving licences and vehicle-registration documents.

• 2020

  Government approves experimental digital identity documents[1]Diiaen.wikipedia.org

  Regulation · Product launch

  Ukraine approved an experimental framework for issuing digital identity cards and passports through Diia.

• 2020

  Diia 2.0 expands documents and public services[1]Diiaen.wikipedia.org

  Product generation · Product launch

  The Diia 2.0 update added document types, one-tap sharing, and a broader set of services through the web portal.

1. 1Diiaen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Diia official websitediia.gov.ua