Proving your identity, showing your driving licence or submitting a certificate – tasks that today often still involve various documents and applications – are set to be possible digitally in future via a wallet on a smartphone. The European Digital Identity Wallet, or EUDI Wallet for short, is a key element of the European framework for digital identities.

It will enable users to prove their identity, store digital documents and verified evidence, and share them selectively. Electronic signatures are also set to be possible in future. Use of the wallet is voluntary.

In Germany, a government-run EUDI Wallet app is planned, which is due to be available from early 2027.

From digital ID cards to school certificates

The EUDI Wallet is intended to be much more than just a digital ID card. Plans include secure identification via personal identification data (PID), digital documents such as driving licences or school certificates, and electronic signatures. Pseudonymous applications and payment functions are also planned for the future.

The principle of data minimisation is key here: users should be able to decide for themselves what information they share and with whom. For example, it will be possible to confirm that a person has reached the age of majority without disclosing their exact date of birth.

What are the benefits of the EUDI Wallet for citizens?

The main benefit lies in making digital processes simpler and seamless. In future, dealing with public authorities, concluding contracts or undergoing identity checks can be done directly via a smartphone. Documents do not need to be uploaded repeatedly or submitted on paper; instead, they can be accessed digitally by various public authorities and institutions.

At the same time, the EUDI Wallet is designed to be interoperable across Europe. Anyone who uses it to identify themselves or provide digital proof should be able to do so across borders with supported public and private services abroad. Common European standards have been and are being developed for this purpose.

Why the EUDI Wallet is becoming important for public administration

For public authorities, the wallet is not merely an additional digital service. The revised eIDAS Regulation establishes a binding European framework for digital identity. At the same time, its use remains voluntary for citizens – alternative access methods must continue to be available.

The wallet also enables public authorities to issue verifiable digital certificates and to incorporate certificates from wallets directly into administrative procedures. Qualified signed or sealed certificates can reduce the verification workload – the key concept here, too, is data minimisation.

BundID and EUDI Wallet: two solutions that work together

In Germany, the BundID plays an important role in connecting public administration systems. Whilst it already serves as a citizen account for identification and authentication, as well as providing access to the citizen’s mailbox, the EUDI Wallet is intended to manage identities and digital credentials and make them accessible. The BundID can thus act as an interface between the administration and the wallet.

According to the Federal Ministry for Digital Affairs and State Modernisation, identification via the EUDI Wallet is set to be possible from 2 January 2027. A prerequisite for this is that a connection to the BundID already exists. At the same time, direct connections – for example via a wallet adapter – are also being planned.

A building block for the digital state

The EUDI Wallet combines digital identity, data protection and interoperable public administration services. For citizens, it can simplify dealings with public authorities. For public authorities, it offers the opportunity to further digitise and automate verification and identification processes. It thus becomes a key building block for the next stage of development of the digital state – and a crucial issue affecting public authorities, public enterprises and the digital economy alike.

In early July, the Federal Ministry for Digital Affairs and State Modernisation held a webinar on the EUDI Wallet in the run-up to the Smart Country Convention. The accompanying presentation is available for download here.

The EUDI Wallet will also be a major topic at the Smart Country Convention 2026 – amongst other things, a session on digital identities and the EUDI Wallet is planned for Wednesday 14 October.