Social:EU Digital Identity Wallet

Short description: Mobile identity wallet defined by EU law for cross-border electronic identification

The EU Digital Identity Wallet (EUDI Wallet) is a mobile identity wallet defined in European Union law to let people and businesses prove who they are online and share verified attributes across the EU. It is created by Regulation (EU) 2024/1183, which amends the eIDAS framework to establish a European Digital Identity, and by a suite of Commission implementing regulations adopted on 28 November 2024 that specify the wallet’s core functions, data, interfaces, and certification.

Member States must make at least one wallet available and recognise those issued by other Member States. The Council adopted the legal framework on 26 March 2024, following Parliament’s first-reading adoption on 29 February 2024; the act was published on 30 April 2024 and entered into force on 20 May 2024.

Background

The wallet builds on the 2014 eIDAS Regulation on electronic identification and trust services, which enabled cross-border recognition of national eID schemes. In June 2021, the Commission proposed a “European Digital Identity” framework with a personal digital wallet; Parliament and Council reached political agreement in November 2023, with formal adoption in early 2024.

Legal framework

The core act is Regulation (EU) 2024/1183, which amends eIDAS to establish the European Digital Identity and requires Member States to offer an EU Digital Identity Wallet to citizens and residents who request one. Five implementing regulations adopted on 28 November 2024 specify:

• integrity and core functionalities of wallets (security architecture, consent, logging, portability);
• person identification data (PID) and electronic attestations of attributes (EAAs), including issuance and revocation rules;
• protocols and interfaces to be supported for interoperability;
• notifications to the Commission concerning the wallet ecosystem;
• certification of wallet solutions and components.

Architecture and standards

The Commission’s Architecture and Reference Framework (ARF), maintained with the European Digital Identity Cooperation Group, describes the ecosystem, roles, data models, cryptography, and conformance testing for the wallet. The ARF and implementing rules reference established technical standards, including the W3C Verifiable Credentials family and ISO/IEC 18013-5 for mobile driving licences.

Data and credentials

Wallets hold two main types of data:

• Person identification data (PID), issued by or on behalf of a Member State (e.g., legal name, date of birth, identifiers) for strong authentication.
• Electronic attestations of attributes (EAAs), issued by public or private providers (e.g., professional qualifications, driving entitlements, residence status, digital travel credentials), which can be presented selectively.

The ARF provides a PID rulebook aligned with the legal text to promote interoperable implementations across Member States.

Features

Implementing rules require that wallets enable user-controlled, privacy-preserving sharing of attributes; support offline and online presentation; and implement integrity, logging, and portability safeguards. Member States are expected to recognise wallets across borders for accessing public services, while the framework also targets high-value private-sector use cases such as KYC in finance and mobile driving licence presentations based on ISO/IEC 18013-5.

Security and certification

Wallet solutions must undergo conformity assessment under schemes defined in the implementing regulation on certification and related references (building on the EU cybersecurity framework). The Commission and Member States coordinate technical specifications and testing through the European Digital Identity Cooperation Group and ARF workstreams.

Implementation and pilots

Since 2023, the Commission has supported several large-scale pilots to trial wallet use cases (e.g., travel, education, social security, payments) with public administrations and private partners across Member States. Examples include the EU Digital Wallet Consortium (EWC) for digital travel credentials and other consortia under the Digital Europe Programme.

Rollout and availability

Under Regulation (EU) 2024/1183, Member States must make available at least one EU Digital Identity Wallet (EUDI Wallet) “within 24 months of the date of entry into force of the implementing acts” for the wallet’s core rules and PID/EAAs. The first set of implementing regulations was published on 4 December 2024 and entered into force 20 days later; this anchors national wallet availability by late December 2026.

Use of the wallet is voluntary and, for natural persons, free of charge. Member States may provide the wallet directly, mandate a provider, or recognise private providers, and may onboard users using an eID at level “substantial” complemented by remote onboarding to reach level “high”.

Acceptance by services

Where a Member State requires electronic identification and authentication to access an online public service, it must also accept presentation via the EUDI Wallet. For the private sector, the regulation requires acceptance “within 36 months” of the implementing acts’ entry into force (i.e. by late December 2027) by relying parties that are legally obliged to use strong user authentication, including services in transport, energy, banking and financial services, social security, health, water, postal services, digital infrastructure, education and telecommunication. In addition, Very Large Online Platforms under the Digital Services Act and “gatekeepers” under the Digital Markets Act must recognise the wallet for user authentication at the user’s request.

Practical use cases

The Commission highlights everyday scenarios such as opening a bank account, enrolling at a university abroad, or applying for a job, with selective disclosure and offline/online presentation supported by the implementing rules.

Pilots and transition to production

Large-scale pilots funded by the Commission are testing travel, education, social security, payments and other use cases ahead of general availability in 2026, with hundreds of public and private stakeholders across the EU participating.

Projected adoption

Under the EU’s 2030 “Digital Decade” targets, “80% of citizens will use a digital ID solution by 2030”; the EUDI Wallet is intended as the primary instrument to meet that goal.

At a glance (key dates)

• 20 May 2024: EUDI framework enters into force.
• 24 December 2024 (≈): first implementing acts enter into force (20 days after OJ publication on 4 December 2024).
• By late December 2026: at least one wallet available in each Member State (24-month deadline).
• By late December 2027: mandatory acceptance by specified private-sector relying parties that must use strong authentication, and by Very Large Online Platforms/gatekeepers for user authentication (on user request).

Timeline

• 8 November 2023: provisional political agreement on the European Digital Identity.
• 29 February 2024: Parliament adopts the act at first reading.
• 26 March 2024: Council adopts the legal framework.
• 4 December 2024: publication of implementing regulations on wallet integrity, PID/EAAs, protocols, certification, and notifications.

See also

• eIDAS
• Mobile driver's license
• Verifiable credentials
• Electronic signature
• Digital public infrastructure

External links

• Official website
• "EUDI Wallet — Architecture and Reference Framework (Dev Hub)". European Commission. 2025. https://eu-digital-identity-wallet.github.io/eudi-doc-architecture-and-reference-framework/2.4.0/.