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The Wallet

What is the EU Digital Identity Wallet

Identification is how we prove who we are; think of your ID or driver’s license. With more and more private and public services becoming digital, a safe, reliable, and privacy enhancing means of digital identification is needed for everyone in Europe.

Safe and easy digital identification for everyone in Europe

The European Union's response to digital identification challenges

The European Union's response to digital identification challenges

The EU Digital Identity Wallet is the European Union's response to the challenges of digital identification. Every EU Member State will offer its own wallet app, built to the same specifications, to all citizens, residents and businesses in the next few years.

The EU Digital Identity Wallet is the European Union's response to the challenges of digital identification. Every EU Member State will offer its own wallet app, built to the same specifications, to all citizens, residents and businesses in the next few years.

Your wallet will allow you to securely identify yourself online when accessing a wide range of public and private services, as well as store, present and share digital documents (which include everything from university diplomas to train tickets) and electronically sign or seal documents.

The wallet will be built with privacy and data minimisation at its heart : You only share the exact information you have agreed to; no more, and no less.

Your wallet will allow you to securely identify yourself online when accessing a wide range of public and private services, as well as store, present and share electronic digital cretentials (which include everything from university diplomas to concert tickets) and electronically sign or seal documents. The wallet will be built with privacy and data minimisation at its heart : You only share the exact information you have agreed to; no more, and no less.

How does the European Digital Identity Wallet work?

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Member States

Wallet Provider

A confident woman who is a user of the EU Digital Identity Wallet.

Wallet User

An official building representing Personal Identity Data Issuers.

Issuers of Digital ID / Digital Documents (e.g. credentials / attestations of attributes)

Buildings that represent Service Providers.

Service Provider

Types of data that can be loaded in the Wallet:

Digital ID being shared via a phone application.

Digital ID

digital documents stored on a phone.

Digital Documents (e.g. credentials / attestations of attributes)

Member States

Wallet Provider

A confident woman who is a user of the EU Digital Identity Wallet.

Wallet User

1. Download

Wallet Provider

2. Issue

A confident woman who is a user of the EU Digital Identity Wallet.

Wallet User

4. Present

An official building representing Personal Identity Data Issuers.

Issuers of Digital ID / Digital Documents (e.g. credentials / attestations of attributes)

3. Authenticate

Access public sector services

Many Member States offer digital portals for public sector services, where you can access information as well as a range of services.

3. Access

A confident woman who is a user of the EU Digital Identity Wallet.

Wallet User

1. Authenticate

2. Verify

Buildings that represent service provider.

Service Provider

1. Request

A confident woman who is a user of the EU Digital Identity Wallet.

Wallet User

3. Store

4. Present

An official building representing Personal Identity Data Issuers.

Issuers of Digital ID / Digital Documents (e.g. credentials / attestations of attributes)

2. Issue

Buildings that represent service provider.

Service Provider

Request a Mobile Driving Licence

Mobile Driving Licences (mDL) are digital versions of your driving licences that hold the same legal validity as a paper document. This is a type of Digital Document that we call Qualified Electronic Attestations of Attributes.

Sign a Contract

In addition to its other features, your wallet can provide a secure legally binding e-signature to any document — for example a new employment contract.

A confident woman who is a user of the EU Digital Identity Wallet.

Wallet User

2. View and sign

1. Contract Sent

3. Contract sent back

Buildings that represent service provider.

Service Provider

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How does the European Digital Identity Wallet work?

Member States

Member States

They will be legally obligated to offer at least one wallet application to citizens, residents and businesses

Wallet Provider

Wallet Provider

They will build the wallet on behalf of Member States and offer it to citizens, residents and businesses. They will also provide ongoing technical support.

A confident woman who is a user of the EU Digital Identity Wallet.

Wallet User

Wallet User

You will be able to identify and authenticate yourself with your wallet as well as store and share important documents we call Electronic attestations of attributes, or credentials

An official building representing Personal Identity Data Issuers.

Issuers of Digital ID / Digital Documents (e.g. credentials / attestations of attributes)

Issuers of Digital ID / Digital Documents (e.g. credentials / attestations of attributes)

Any trusted organisation that can issue your Digital ID and/or Digital Documents. Digital Documents can be either Qualified (official documents, with measures to ensure their authenticity, like social security documents and mobile driving licences, etc.) or non-Qualified (gym membership card, train tickets etc.).

Buildings that represent service providers

Service Provider

Service Provider

Service Providers are any public or private organisation that relies on information from the wallet and requests identification and authentication from Wallet Users. Also known as Relying Parties, Service Providers can be everything from Member States to banks, to universities, to pharmacies. They will request your Digital ID and/or Digital Documents to verify your identity and other claims when you access their services.

Types of data that can be
loaded in the Wallet:

Digital ID being shared via a phone application.

Digital ID

Digital ID

Personal information like your name and date of birth used for identification. Your wallet will require this data before any Digital Documents can be loaded into it.

A digital credential stored on a phone.

Digital Documents (e.g. credentials / attestations of attributes)

Digital Documents (e.g. credentials / attestations of attributes)

These are also called Attestation of Attributes in the regulation. They come in 2 forms:

Qualified Digital Credential of Attributes (QEAA):
Digital Documents (Attestations) that are issued by an organisation that has performed additional steps to ensure its trustworthiness. This is a Qualified Trust Service Provider, a concept defined in the eIDAS Regulation. Typically, these will be documents that are more official, for example, a social security document issued by a governmental entity. QEAAs have the same legal validity as a paper document.

Electronic Attestation of Attributes (EAA): Documents that are not issued by a Qualified Trust Service Provider, and so, don't have to abide by as many rules. Typically these are less sensitive documents like a gym membership card or train tickets.
EAAs do not have the same legal validity as a paper document.

Member States

Member States

Member States will mandate at least one Wallet Provider to build a wallet within a certain timeline that will be defined in legislation.

Mandate

Wallet Provider

Wallet Provider

The Wallet Provider will build the wallet to specifications defined and agreed on at the EU level and make it available for you to download.

Serve

A confident woman who is a user of the EU Digital Identity Wallet.

Wallet User

Wallet User

The Wallet User downloads and uses the finished wallet once it is available.

1. Download

You will download your local version of the wallet app from a major app store.

A confident woman who is a user of the EU Digital Identity Wallet.

4. Present

Your wallet can now identify and authenticate you. You can now use it to access a range of services from Service Providers, as well as request and store Digital Documents like your university diplomas or gym memberships.

2. Issue

Once your Digital ID is verified by checking it against the data stored in the Trust System, your local entity will issue your driving license to your wallet application.

3. Authenticate

The Digital ID Issuer will authenticate your identity and issue your Digital ID to your wallet. The authenticity of your Digital ID will be verified by Service Providers thanks to the wallet's Trust System.

An official building representing Personal Identity Data Issuers.

Access public sector services

Many Member States offer digital portals for public sector services, where you can access information as well as a range of services.

3. Access

Once verified you will be able to access the public sector services available in the portal.

A confident woman who is a user of the EU Digital Identity Wallet.

1. Authenticate

Authenticate yourself to your public sector services portal by sharing your Digital ID from your wallet.

2. Verify

After verifying the data you shared, your public sector services portal will grant you access. No extra action needed from you.

An official building representing Personal Identity Data Issuers.

Request a Mobile Driving Licence

Mobile Driving Licences (mDL) are digital versions of your driving licences that hold the same legal validity as a paper document. This is a type of Digital Document that we call Qualified Electronic Attestations of Attributes.

An official building representing Personal Identity Data Issuers.

1. Request

Depending on your country, you'll be able to request your mobile driving license either online or in person from the local entity responsible. To verify who you are, you will be requested to share your Digital ID.

2. Issue

Once your Digital ID is verified, your local entity will issue your driving license to your wallet application.

A confident woman who is a user of the EU Digital Identity Wallet.

3. Store

You will be notified that your driving license was successfully uploaded to your wallet and is now ready to be used.

4. Present

You can now access your mobile driving license on your wallet application and share when needed, like the next time you rent a car.

Buildings that represent Service providers.

Sign a Contract

In addition to its other features, your wallet can provide a secure legally binding e-signature to any document — for example a new employment contract.

A confident woman who is a user of the EU Digital Identity Wallet.

2. View & sign

After opening and authenticating yourself to your wallet, you can view the document sent to you. After agreeing, your wallet will generate a secure e-signature that is legally valid.

1. Contract sent

A new employer will send a contract document to be signed to your wallet.

3. Contract sent back

A copy will be sent to your employer, and also stored on your phone. Congratulations, you've just signed a new employment contract!

Buildings that represent Service Providers.

One European standard. Many national wallets

There will be EU Digital Identity Wallets in each Member State built to the same technical standards and offering the same user experience and functionalities, no matter where they are used and in which Member State they are issued. The Large Scale Pilots are currently testing prototype wallets built using the open specifications and the wallet Reference Implementation.

Now that Digital Identity Regulation has entered into force, each Member State will be obligated to offer at least one wallet to citizens, residents, and businesses. Each will be interoperable, working with every other national wallet; accepting the same digital documents (mobile driving licences, university diplomas etc.) and your digital ID (your date of birth, nationality etc.). Your wallet will be recognized throughout Europe.

About the initiative

Technical Specifications

The technical work behind the Wallet

The technical work to build the wallet started at the same time as the legislative discussions, ensuring that Member States will be ready to provide wallets once required to do so.

To create a common toolbox for the EU Digital Identity Wallet, the European Commission is working closely with Member States, the eIDAS expert group, and other key stakeholders to develop:

A set of common standards and technical specifications, guidelines and best practices.

A prototype of the wallet (the Reference Implementation): In the form of open source code and requirements to guide Member States in developing their national wallets.

Large Scale Pilots are currently testing prototype wallets in a variety of use cases.

The results of the work on the Toolbox, the Reference Implementation of the wallet, and input from the Large Scale pilots will be used to inform the implementing legislation. This will be the legal backbone directing Member States to develop their national wallets.

Read more about the Toolbox

Discover the benefits of the Wallet

Store, secure, and share your digital identity — discover the many ways EUDI Wallet will benefit both individuals and organizations.

Discover the benefits of the Wallet

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