Deployment of the European Digital Identity: the EUDI Wallet and its technical framework

The European Digital Identity Wallet (EUDI Wallet) is the common tool that the European Union is developing for citizens, residents, and businesses to manage digital credentials in an interoperable and secure manner. According to the European Commission, each Member State must provide its citizens with at least one EUDI Wallet before the end of 2026, with the aim of facilitating access to cross-border public services and ensuring a robust and privacy-respecting identity verification framework.

The regulatory framework of eIDAS 2.0 drives the digitalisation of identity in the EU and sets the conditions for the implementation of these wallets, including remote onboarding requirements, high-level assurance and uniform standards for interoperability between States. In parallel, the implementation of technical standards by the Commission and regulatory bodies aims to ensure that the wallets are secure, verifiable, and usable at scale.

Among the recent technical milestones are ETSI standards that support the operation of digital wallets for around 450 million Europeans, along with the approval of procedures for remote onboarding and verification of identities that meet substantial or high security levels. These standards facilitate providers and administrations adopting mechanisms for the verification of digital credentials (verifiable credentials) and cryptographic proofs (e.g., signatures and encryption) in a standardised manner.

The implementation also includes a certification programme for digital wallets at the European level, for which ENISA has received funding to support the national certification of EUDI Wallet solutions and the creation of a possible European cybersecurity certification scheme in accordance with the EU Cybersecurity framework. This effort aims to enhance the technical and operational trust of the shared digital identity infrastructure.