Context
As a major policy shift, the Hungarian Government restructured public sector digitalisation governance, adopting the Digital Citizenship Programme (2022–2026) under the leadership of the Digital Hungary Agency. The programme introduced the Digital Citizen concept, with the aim of reinterpreting the relationship between the state and citizens. Based on the new digital identity initiative of the EU, it applies the ‘mobile first’ principle through introducing a completely new mobile e-identification solution and user-friendly platforms based on common service standards.
The implementation of these interconnected priorities has been ongoing as a comprehensive system of objectives and instruments provided by several separate but closely linked projects and streams.
As a complete ecosystem, the solutions and practices introduced as part of the Digital Citizen concept are now providing a wide range of tangible results, such as the DÁP (Digitális Állampolgárság Programot) mobile application and framework services as the cornerstones of improving user-centricity and security in parallel with the quality and efficiency of digital public services, as well as the unified service design standards and guidelines for public administrations, which has been already reused in several domains. Since its public launch in September 2024, the ecosystem has reached population-scale adoption within around 17 months of operation.
Objectives
The DÁP ecosystem aims to fundamentally rethink the relationship between citizens and the state by applying a citizen-centric, design-first approach. DÁP’s goal is to eliminate complicated, paper-based, slow, in-person interactions by new digital solutions and by implementing life-event based services, founded by extensive research to address real user needs. Key goals include standardising the user experience across all government digital services through monitored mandatory design, and analytics standards.
To develop efficient, high‑quality user‑centric digital public services, the focus was on interoperability, automation, and better evidence‑based development, supported by new user‑research analytics and by re-engineering processes through data and modern technologies. As concrete solutions, a comprehensive, life‑event‑based methodology has been developed, together with the related service catalogue.
Building on these, a detailed assessment of life events is underway to provide a solid basis for further developments. The reusable service design system has been published, based on which several digital services have already been renewed. Finally, the DÁP mobile application has been launched and has seen widespread uptake. Beyond e-identification, the application provides wallet functionality, consent‑based data sharing, and an eIDAS compliant, qualified electronic signature to support digital administration across government-to-citizen (G2C) and even business-to-consumer (B2C) services.
Implementation
The Digital Hungary Agency was established to implement the entire ecosystem, supported by a holding structure of state-owned IT companies that provides the governance framework and ensures coordinated, efficient delivery. DÁP ecosystem-related developments are carried out through four interdependent EU-funded projects with a total budget of HUF 17.707 billion (~ EUR 45 million). The main beneficiaries are the 100% state-owned IdomSoft Ltd. and DKF Ltd., acting as consortium members under the supervision of the Digital Hungary Agency, where a dedicated deputy CEO oversees governance of these developments.
Act CIII of 2023 on the Digital State has been adopted, establishing the legal basis for the ecosystem and enabling project implementation. Extensive user research has been conducted as part of the stakeholder consultation, in line with a ‘UX/UI first’ approach. A comprehensive, readily available, and widely reusable design system was created early in the process, alongside necessary analytics, interoperable connections, and back-office system integrations reusing the State Development Environment’s resources as well.
Communication on the ecosystem’s initiatives is primarily delivered through dap.gov.hu and magyarorszag.hu, supplemented by nationwide outdoor and print campaigns. The projects involve ~300 staff members, including 20 UX designers, supporting high-quality, user-focused development across the ecosystem.