Piauí is the first state in Brazil to reach the milestone of 30% of its population with the National Identity Card (CIN). This achievement was made possible after the state government established 137 service centers in 118 of the state’s 224 municipalities. The goal is for all cities in Piauí to have at least one digital service unit by 2026, ensuring that no one needs to travel long distances to obtain their document.
This widespread service coverage across different regions is the key to Piauí’s impressive percentage. “The milestone of one million documents issued is due to the decentralization of services. Today, around 70% of issuances occur in the countryside, while Teresina accounts for 30%,” explains Marcelo Mascarenha, director of the state’s identification institute.
In addition to service centers, the issuance and delivery process of the document has also been designed to prevent residents from having to travel to the capital to receive their physical card. Currently, people in Piauí can collect their new document in seven municipalities across the state.
This convenience benefited Evangelina Maria, a resident of Lagoa do São Francisco, 193 km from the capital. “I got this new identity card for my retirement. The service was quick and very practical,” said the elderly woman.
However, Evangelina’s age group is not the one that has obtained the National Identity Card the most in the state. The leading group in this regard is people between 35 and 44 years old. That is the case of Teresina resident Mário Dias, a mobile technology specialist. “I decided to update to the new one, first for the convenience of having my identification data directly on my phone, and second, for security as well,” he explained.
Another age group with a high number of CIN holders is children up to 12 years old. This is no coincidence: the Piauí government has been encouraging issuance for children because the new identity card is a more comprehensive document than the birth certificate. It includes biometric data that better protect their identity and help prevent fraud and crimes such as child abduction.
What changes with the new identity
Across the country, more than 20 million people have already obtained the CIN. The goal is to reach 130 million issued IDs by the end of 2026, increasing security for the population and the government while improving public service delivery.
The issuance of the new identity card automatically grants citizens a gold-level account on GOV.BR, providing access to over 4,500 platform services, including the digital signing of legally valid documents and performing proof of life.
The CIN uses only the CPF as a unified identification number, preventing fraudsters from issuing multiple IDs in different Brazilian states and avoiding duplicate identity cards with the same number in various federation units.
Besides making fraud more difficult, the new document also allows the inclusion of other personal records, such as a Driver’s License, Work Permit, Voter Registration, and Military Certificate, as well as additional information such as blood type, Rh factor, organ donor status, and health conditions like Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and auditory, visual, physical, or intellectual disabilities.
This unification of data and records will eventually make the CIN the only document Brazilians need to carry. It will also enable the proactive delivery of public services to the population. In other words, in the future, those entitled to a service or benefit won’t need to seek it out—the state will provide it automatically.
“The citizen will be identified more securely, and the service will reach them,” explains Rogério Mascarenhas, Secretary of Digital Government at the Ministry of Management and Public Services Innovation.
