The European Digital Identity Wallet (EUDI Wallet) is a government-backed app that allows EU citizens, residents and businesses to store, manage and share important IDs and documents. Once the EUDI wallet is downloaded, it can be used during onboarding at a bank, identity checks at an airport, and many other processes where ID processing is necessary. Like many digital wallets, it exists entirely on a user’s smartphone, yet it is government-designed and issued.   

Mandated by the EU’s Regulation 2024/1183, or eIDAS 2.0, the EUDI Wallet was designed in response to a growing need for digital identity sharing across the European Union. The idea here is that rather than many fragmented systems working alongside one another, users have a single standard for digital identity across the entire bloc. 

How does the EUDI Wallet work? 

Under eIDAS 2.0, each member state is responsible for making at least one wallet available and certified to certain technical and security standards. How the Wallets are developed and rolled out will vary from country to country, but they should work uniformly across all 27 member states.  

From a technical perspective, every credential stored in the EUDI Wallet carries a cryptographic signature. This is a tamper-proof digital seal applied by the issuing authority that confirms the credential therein is genuine and hasn’t been altered. When a service requests your credentials, it verifies this seal instantly without needing to contact the original issuer. 

From a user's perspective, getting a wallet is straightforward:

1. Download the official wallet app 

2. Secure access using a PIN or your device's biometric features 

3. Complete identity verification by connecting to the national eID scheme, typically by scanning a physical ID document 

4. Receive Personal Identification Data (PID). This is the core digital identity credential, issued directly into the wallet by a government-certified authority 

5. Add further credentials, such as a driving licence, health insurance card, or diplomas. 

In everyday life, the EUDI Wallet helps streamline all identity verification needs. When a service needs to verify something about a person, such as their identity, age, or qualifications, it sends a request to the wallet for exactly what it needs. The person can then see the request, decide what they want to share, and approve it.  

The credentials in an EUDI Wallet are added there by government bodies or certified organisations, each of which carried a cryptographic seal. The whole process works both online during customer onboarding, and in person at airport security terminals or other government organisations.  

Of course, no one is obliged to use the EUDI Wallet. However, from December 2027 businesses in regulated sectors will be required to accept it, meaning it will become an increasingly practical option for everyday interactions with companies and government entities. 

Key features of the EUDI Wallet 

The EUDI Wallet is defined by several capabilities that separate it from commercial digital wallets and other national eID schemes. 

Selective disclosure allows users to share only the specific data that a particular entity requires, rather than an entire swath of personal data that might not be necessary. In practice, this means one could confirm you are over 18 without revealing your full date of birth, or prove your nationality without sharing your home address. 

Qualified electronic signatures can be created directly from the wallet, carrying the same legal weight as a handwritten signature throughout the EU. This enables users to sign contracts, official forms, and other legal documents securely and digitally. 

Cross-border functionality is part of the wallet's architecture. Every wallet issued by any member state must conform to the European Commission’s Architecture and Reference Framework (ARF). This ensures that a credential issued in one country is recognised across all other member states. 

Offline functionality means the wallet can be used without an internet connection, helpful for identity checks at airports or other places where Wi-Fi may not be accessible. 

The regulatory framework behind the EUDI Wallet 

The EUDI Wallet is the centrepiece of eIDAS 2.0: the updated version of the EU's electronic identification and trust services regulation. The original eIDAS regulation, which has been in force since 2014, also established a legal framework for digital signatures and cross-border electronic identification. However, it left notable gaps in adoption and interoperability that eIDAS 2.0 seeks to address, in part through the EUDI Wallet. 

Through eIDAS 2.0, digital identity wallets aren’t just mandatory for member states, but also in the private sector. From December 2027, large private organisations across sectors will be required to accept the EUDI Wallet for authentication where a legal or contractual obligation for Strong Customer Authentication (SCA) exists. The reach here is vast and includes industries such as banking, insurance, telecommunications, energy, healthcare, and transportation. 

What the EUDI Wallet means for financial services 

For banks and other regulated financial institutions, the EUDI Wallet represents a huge change when it comes to how identity verification and customer onboarding works. And for many, these changes will be welcome, helping streamline processes and make onboarding and continuous KYC faster and more efficient.  

Rather than asking customers to upload documents or re-enter personal data, businesses will be able to request verified credentials directly from the customer’s Wallet, knowing that they have already been authenticated at a high level of assurance by a government-certified issuer. 

Wallet-based identity verification will inevitably reduce onboarding friction and lower the cost of handling documents. It will also improve the quality of identity data that’s captured because the credentials are issued and cryptographically signed by trusted authorities, rather than self-reported by users. 

Financial institutions operating across multiple EU jurisdictions will also benefit from this unified approach. Rather than navigating different national identity systems and standards, the EUDI Wallet provides a single standard that’s accepted everywhere and universally secure. 

FAQs 

When will the EUDI Wallet be available?  

Every EU member state is required to make at least one EUDI Wallet available to citizens and residents by December 2026. Rollout is happening progressively, with some member states ahead of others in their implementation timelines. Additional use cases may be introduced over time, depending on national implementations. 

Is the EUDI Wallet the same as eIDAS?  

No. eIDAS is the EU regulation that sets the legal rules for digital identity and trust services across the EU. The EUDI Wallet is the digital application that citizens and residents will use to store and share their identity credentials. 

Do businesses have to accept the EUDI Wallet?  

Public-sector services across all member states must accept the EUDI Wallet by late 2026/early 2027. For the private sector, mandatory acceptance applies from December 2027 to large organisations operating in regulated sectors, including banking, insurance, and telecommunications, where Strong Customer Authentication is required. Micro and small enterprises are excluded from this obligation.