In Kyrgyzstan, active work is underway to address issues related to the duplication of personal identification numbers (PIN). According to the Ministry of Digital Development and Innovative Technologies, about 300,000 citizens have faced difficulties due to the presence of double PINs, but already 200,000 of them have found solutions to their problems. Currently, 100,901 PINs remain in the system in a duplicated form.
The PIN plays an important role in the process of obtaining state and municipal services. Errors in the system, such as duplicate numbers or incorrect personal data, can create obstacles for citizens in accessing electronic services, documents, and social benefits.
According to current legislation, changing the PIN due to a change of gender is not permitted. When initially assigning a PIN, gender coding is used, where the number "1" is assigned to women and the number "2" to men.
Legislative framework and mechanisms for correcting the situation
The procedure for assigning and changing the PIN is regulated by several regulatory acts, including the laws "On Personal Data" and "On Personalized Accounting of Citizens," as well as the Cabinet of Ministers' resolution dated April 17, 2025, No. 207.
In accordance with the current rules, in the event of technical errors or double assignment of a PIN, a mechanism for rapid data correction is provided.
Citizens can contact the Public Service Centers, after which special units of the State Institution "Kyzmat" correct the information within one to two working days. If the request comes from foreign institutions, corrections are made within eight hours.
Causes of duplicate PINs
The Ministry of Digital Development notes that most cases of PIN duplication are related to the transitional period of the 1990s and early 2000s, when different agencies, such as the State Tax Service and the Social Fund, assigned personal numbers without a unified information base.
This led to situations where one person could mistakenly be assigned multiple identification numbers.
Since 2016, the process of assigning PINs has become centralized and is now fully carried out by the State Institution "Kyzmat".
When issuing passports and other documents, a mandatory check is carried out through a unified information system, which helps prevent repeated errors and identify existing duplicates.
Scope of the problem and plans for its resolution
The process of handling duplicate PINs is carried out without the need for citizens to be present in person. After updating the data, the State Institution "Kyzmat" sends notifications by mail to those citizens whose addresses are in the database.
The Ministry of Digital Development has set a goal to complete the full processing and elimination of duplicate PINs by the end of the first half of 2026.
The department emphasizes that this work is part of a broader digital transformation aimed at improving the quality of public services and protecting citizens' personal data.
