A couple sit at the table, eating dinner. They’re wearing warm hats and winter coats. The table is outside in a snowy field.
Their faces are downcast.
This is the image that the Estonian government has chosen on the webpage announcing a new feature: divorce can now be done online. With the move, 100% of the country’s government services are digital, a world first.
“Divorce is often a very emotional process,” explains Enel Pungas, head of the Population Operations Department at the ministry of the interior, and who is behind the 2022 law that enshrines electronic divorce. “The state has no reason to make it even more complicated. Previously, people getting divorced had to meet first to apply and again with a local government official after a 30-day cooling-off period. Thanks to the e-service, only one physical meeting with an official is enough for the final divorce.”
The service operates via the population register portal. One partner completes the application, which is then forwarded to another partner. Since Estonian state databases use cross-referenced data, the electronic application is already pre-filled.
“We are also proud of the online booking system,” Pungas adds. “Since local governments register divorces, we have the calendars of all 16 Estonian local governments on the portal. Divorcees can choose a convenient time to go there to formalise the divorce.”
“We have based the digitalisation of public services on the number of users,” she continues. “E-marriage was completed a year earlier. About 6,000 people get married in Estonia per year. It is known that half of the marriages are dissolved, so we have 3,000 divorces.”
Some 56% of marriage applications are submitted electronically to local governments in Estonia. For birth registration applications, it’s 85%. Divorce applications also promise to be popular, with early numbers coming in at 53%. “The only obstacle to using the e-service can be if people have married abroad or, for some reason, their documents are not in order,” explains Pungas. “Then you have to first deal with organising your data or documents. Or you can still go to an official.”
Until 27 March, Estonia will be celebrating its digital achievements with its “100% digital, 0% bureaucrazy” campaign. The initiative invites the global public to discover Estonia’s groundbreaking innovations through the e-Estonia Briefing Centre in Tallinn.
This article in French.