What is the European Digital Identity Wallet?

What is the European Digital Identity Wallet?

The European Digital Identity Wallet is a secure mobile application that every EU member state must offer its citizens under the eIDAS 2.0 regulation (Regulation (EU) 2024/1183). It allows individuals to store identity credentials — such as national ID, driving licence, diplomas, and professional qualifications — in digital form, present them selectively to verifiers, and sign documents electronically. The wallet puts users in control of their personal data and works across borders and sectors throughout the EU.

Think of the EDI Wallet as a digital version of the documents you carry in your physical wallet — but with a critical difference. Instead of handing over your entire ID card, you can share only the specific information a verifier needs. A bar can confirm you are over 18 without learning your name or address. An employer can verify your degree without accessing your medical records. This principle of selective disclosure is at the heart of the EDI Wallet's design.

The EDI Wallet is not a single app built by the European Commission. Each member state develops or procures its own wallet implementation, but all must meet common technical standards and interoperability requirements defined in eIDAS 2.0 implementing acts. This means a wallet issued in the Netherlands must be accepted in Portugal, and vice versa.

What does eIDAS 2.0 require for EDI Wallets?

eIDAS 2.0 (Regulation (EU) 2024/1183) is the revised European framework for electronic identification and trust services. It updates the original 2014 eIDAS regulation with a much broader scope and a new centrepiece: the European Digital Identity Wallet. The regulation sets out detailed requirements that every wallet must satisfy.

Key requirements under eIDAS 2.0 include:

• Universal availability — all 27 EU member states must issue an EDI Wallet to any citizen or resident who requests one, free of charge
• Voluntary use — no one can be forced to use a wallet; it must remain an option alongside traditional identification methods
• Cross-border interoperability — wallets issued by any member state must be recognised and accepted across the entire EU
• Selective disclosure — users must be able to share individual data fields rather than entire credentials, minimising the personal data exposed in any transaction
• Qualified electronic signatures — the wallet must enable users to create qualified electronic signatures and seals, giving digital signatures the same legal standing as handwritten ones
• Relying party obligations — large online platforms with over 45 million EU users must accept EDI Wallets for user authentication
• Trust framework — wallets operate within a regulated trust framework, with certified issuers, verifiers, and wallet providers subject to security and conformity requirements
• Privacy by design — wallet providers must not be able to track users' transactions, and wallet data must be stored locally on the user's device or in user-controlled secure storage

The implementing acts specifying the detailed technical architecture, security standards, and certification requirements are being developed by the European Commission alongside the EU Digital Identity Wallet Consortium. Read more about the regulatory landscape on our Digital Identity advisory page.

How does an EDI Wallet work?

The EDI Wallet operates on a three-party model — issuers, holders, and verifiers — that decouples the moment of credential issuance from the moment of credential presentation. This is what makes the wallet fundamentally different from traditional identity verification, where a verifier typically contacts a central database.

The wallet interaction flow works as follows:

• Issuance — a trusted issuer (such as a government agency, university, or employer) creates a verifiable credential and delivers it to the holder's wallet. For example, a municipality issues a proof-of-residence credential after verifying the holder's address.
• Storage — the holder stores the credential locally in their wallet app on their own device. The credential is cryptographically signed by the issuer, making it tamper-proof.
• Presentation — when a verifier (such as a bank, airline, or online service) requests proof of identity or a specific attribute, the holder selects which credentials or individual data fields to share. The wallet generates a verifiable presentation containing only the requested information.
• Verification — the verifier cryptographically confirms the credential's authenticity using the issuer's public key. This happens instantly and without contacting the issuer — preserving the holder's privacy.

A practical example: when renting a car, the rental company requests proof that you hold a valid driving licence and are over 25. Your wallet presents only those two facts — licence validity and age confirmation — without revealing your home address, date of birth, or any other personal data. Try this interaction pattern yourself in our EDI Wallet demo.

What are Verifiable Credentials?

Verifiable Credentials are tamper-proof, cryptographically signed digital statements issued by a trusted party. They are the fundamental data unit stored in an EDI Wallet — each credential represents a specific claim about the holder, such as their identity, a qualification, a licence, or a proof of address.

A verifiable credential consists of three elements:

• Claims — the actual data (e.g., "name: Maria Santos", "degree: MSc Computer Science", "issuer: University of Lisbon")
• Metadata — information about the credential itself (when it was issued, when it expires, what standard it follows)
• Cryptographic proof — a digital signature from the issuer that allows anyone to verify the credential has not been altered

The power of verifiable credentials lies in what they enable: trust without centralisation. A verifier does not need to contact the issuing university to confirm a diploma. The cryptographic signature proves the credential is genuine, was issued by the stated authority, and has not been tampered with. Combined with selective disclosure, verifiable credentials allow you to prove specific claims (e.g., "I am over 18") without revealing the underlying data (your full date of birth).

Verifiable credentials follow open standards — primarily the W3C Verifiable Credentials Data Model and ISO/IEC 18013-5 (for mobile driving licences). The eIDAS 2.0 implementing acts define which credential formats the EDI Wallet must support to ensure cross-border interoperability.

What is Self-Sovereign Identity and how does it relate to EDI Wallets?

SSI (Self-Sovereign Identity) is a model where individuals own and control their digital identity without depending on a central authority. Instead of a platform or government holding your data and deciding what to share, you hold cryptographically signed credentials in your own wallet and choose when and with whom to share them.

SSI relies on technologies like DIDs (Decentralized Identifiers) — globally unique identifiers created and controlled by the subject rather than a central registry — and verifiable credentials to enable trust without centralisation. The core principles of SSI include:

• User control — the individual decides what data to share, with whom, and for how long
• Portability — credentials are not locked into a single platform or provider
• Selective disclosure — share only the minimum data necessary for each interaction
• Decentralisation — no single point of control or failure in the identity system
• Privacy by default — interactions reveal as little as possible about the holder

The EDI Wallet incorporates key SSI principles — selective disclosure, user control, and credential portability — but stops short of full decentralisation. Wallets are issued by EU member states, not self-created, and trust flows through government-approved certification schemes rather than decentralised trust registries. This pragmatic approach makes the wallet legally binding and widely deployable while preserving the user-centric philosophy of SSI. Read more in our deep dive on SSI and privacy-by-design.

Who needs to prepare for EDI Wallets?

The EDI Wallet is not just a government project — its impact extends to every organisation that verifies identity, issues credentials, or provides online services. Five groups of organisations need to prepare:

• Government agencies — must develop and issue EDI Wallets, create government-issued credentials (national ID, driving licence, social security), and update public services to accept wallet-based authentication
• Large online platforms — platforms with over 45 million EU users (classified as "very large online platforms" under the Digital Services Act) are required to accept EDI Wallets for user login and age verification
• Identity-reliant sectors — banks, insurers, healthcare providers, telecom operators, and any organisation that currently verifies identity through document checks will benefit from integrating wallet-based verification into their onboarding and KYC processes
• Credential issuers — universities, professional bodies, employers, and certification authorities need to issue their credentials in verifiable formats compatible with EDI Wallets
• Technology providers — identity platforms, KYC providers, and authentication services need to build wallet-compatible infrastructure and integrate with the eIDAS 2.0 trust framework

Even organisations not directly mandated to accept EDI Wallets will find strategic value in early adoption. Wallet-based verification reduces KYC costs, improves user experience, strengthens GDPR compliance through data minimisation, and positions organisations for a future where digital identity credentials are the norm rather than the exception.

What is the timeline for EDI Wallet deployment?

The rollout of the EDI Wallet follows a phased timeline defined by eIDAS 2.0 and the associated implementing acts. Here are the key milestones:

• 20 May 2024 — eIDAS 2.0 entered into force
• November 2024 — deadline for the European Commission to adopt the first implementing acts specifying technical standards, security requirements, and certification criteria for EDI Wallets
• 2023–2025 — large-scale pilots under the EU Digital Identity Wallet Consortium (POTENTIAL, EWC, NOBID, DC4EU) testing cross-border use cases including travel, education, payments, and government services
• Late 2026 — member states must issue EDI Wallets to citizens and residents who request them
• 2027 onwards — large online platforms must accept EDI Wallets for authentication (exact date depends on implementing act adoption)

Early preparation is critical. Organisations that wait for the mandates to take effect will find themselves scrambling to integrate wallet acceptance, redesign onboarding flows, and adapt internal systems. Those that start now — assessing their identity processes, mapping credential flows, and running pilots — will be ready when the wallets go live. The large-scale pilots are already generating real-world learnings that early movers can benefit from.

How can Regen Studio help with digital identity strategy?

Regen Studio is an independent advisory firm — we do not sell identity software, build wallet platforms, or take commissions from technology vendors. This independence means our advice is shaped by your needs, not by a product we need to sell.

Our digital identity advisory services include:

• eIDAS 2.0 strategy — translating the regulation into concrete obligations, timelines, and design constraints for your specific context
• Wallet and credential architecture — designing credential schemas, issuance flows, and verification processes that work within the eIDAS 2.0 trust framework
• Pilot program design — structuring proof-of-concept projects that test wallet-based interactions with real users and real credentials
• Privacy-by-design consulting — ensuring identity systems meet GDPR and eIDAS 2.0 privacy requirements from the start, not as an afterthought
• Standardisation guidance — navigating W3C, EBSI, OpenID, and ISO frameworks to ensure your identity architecture is interoperable and future-proof
• Ecosystem strategy — mapping the credential ecosystem in your sector and identifying strategic partnerships with issuers, verifiers, and wallet providers

We designed the EDI Wallet demo to make eIDAS 2.0 concepts tangible, led the Trusted DPP position paper for FIDES and the Dutch Blockchain Coalition connecting digital identity to product passports, and advise governments, industry coalitions, and technology teams navigating the shift toward user-centric identity. Whether you are a government exploring wallet issuance, a platform preparing for acceptance mandates, or an organisation rethinking its identity processes, we tailor our approach to your stage and role.