EUDI Wallet: the countdown to the European digital identity
Late 2026. A person needs to open a bank account and the entity asks them to prove they are of legal age. Instead of showing their full ID card, containing details such as their date of birth, address and a photograph, they take out their mobile phone, open an app and share only the necessary information: that they are over 18. Nothing more. The bank verifies this instantly and the process continues as normal.
That app is the European Digital Identity Wallet, known as the EUDI Wallet. Regulation (EU) 2024/1183, or eIDAS 2, requires Member States to make at least one such solution available to their citizens before the end of the year. Across the 27 countries, there will be differences in both the scope and the features offered by each solution – a reality that is worth understanding before the deadline arrives.
What comes first: the citizen’s identity
One of the first elements to be introduced is the PID (Person Identification Data), the set of identity data issued by the State with the highest level of assurance to verify a person’s identity in the digital sphere. Its issuance is the exclusive responsibility of public administrations, and, in the case of Spain, it will coexist with the DNIe (electronic national identity card), the digital certificate and Cl@ve, without replacing them.
The innovativeness of these systems lies in two features that change the way people identify themselves online. The first is their validity throughout the European Union: the same PID can be used both to carry out a procedure in Spain and to open a bank account in Portugal or sign up for a service in Germany.
The EUDI Wallet will enable individuals to securely verify their identity across the EU
The second relates to privacy.
The digital wallet allows users to share only the necessary information for each transaction, without revealing a complete document. Thus, a person can prove they are of legal age without disclosing their date of birth.
The same principle applies to all other attributes: only the necessary data is shared, and nothing more.
In businesses and public administrations, the focus shifts
For a business or a public administration, the discussion does not centre on the PID, but rather on two distinct questions: whether it should issue digital wallets and how to proceed when a citizen presents theirs.
The answer to the first question is clear: no. eIDAS 2 does not oblige either businesses or autonomous communities to provide these wallets. That responsibility lies with the Member States.
The second question does have practical implications, because the moment an organisation requests an attribute from a user’s wallet, it becomes a user organisation, and European regulations require it to register by declaring who it is, what service it provides, what information it is going to request, and the legal basis justifying that request. It will not be possible to request more information than is authorised, and if an attempt is made to exceed that limit, the wallet itself will warn the user that the organisation is exceeding the permitted scope.
The timetable that really matters
Public administrations will be the first to take the plunge. Where electronic identification is already required to carry out an online procedure, the European digital wallet must be accepted from the end of 2026. For those responsible for legal affairs, cybersecurity or technology in local councils and autonomous communities, the key date is not 2027, but this very year.
The European Digital Identity Wallet must be accepted before the year ends
The private sector will have more time. Article 5f.2 requires private entities (with the exception of micro and small enterprises) that are subject by law or contract to strong authentication mechanisms in sectors such as banking, energy, telecommunications or healthcare to accept the wallet.
The deadline is 24 December 2027.
But having more time does not mean we should wait. The banking sector is the best example. The AMLR, which comes into force on 10 July 2027, already recognises the EUDI Wallet as a valid method for due diligence processes. This means that, as soon as the wallet becomes available at the end of 2026, financial institutions will be able to use it to on-board new customers, even though the obligation to accept it does not come into force until a year later.
What each area of the organisation stands to gain
However, reducing all this to a regulatory obligation is only telling half the story. The key question is not what needs to be complied with, but what benefits it brings. And the answer varies depending on the area of the organisation.
Business finds an opportunity to streamline its relationship with customers through faster identification processes. Cybersecurity strengthens its defences against fraud with cryptographic credentials that are far more robust than traditional methods. The Legal department gains certainty and common rules across the entire European market. And the data teams gain a benefit that is as subtle as it is valuable: verifying information whilst minimising the exposure of personal data, thereby reducing risks without compromising trust.
Two ecosystems developing in parallel
Beyond the PID, this same technology is driving two ecosystems that are developing in parallel. On the one hand, the public sector, integrated within the EUDI framework, with credentials such as qualifications, licences or powers of representation issued by public authorities and qualified bodies.
Digital wallets drive two ecosystems in parallel
On the other hand, the private sector, where organisations exchange and validate credentials without state intervention, such as professional bodies or business groups.
Both share the same trust infrastructure. Consequently, organisations can begin to build upon it and explore use cases long before any regulation requires them to do so.
The role of Izertis
At Izertis, we have been working on decentralised digital identity for over five years. We have taken part in European pilot projects such as WE BUILD and DC4EU, and have developed Identfy, our platform for the full lifecycle of verifiable credentials and wallets, which is aligned with eIDAS 2 and the Architecture and Reference Framework (ARF). Our role is to support organisations in their decision-making: which capabilities make sense to develop, which credentials they should accept, and when is the best time to do so.
The European digital identity wallet will become a reality, regardless of where each organisation stands within this new ecosystem. And when that happens, the difference will no longer be determined solely by regulatory compliance. It will be evident in each company’s ability to build trust, streamline relationships with its users and respond swiftly to an increasingly digital environment.