Digital identity in Europe
By the end of 2026 every EU member state has to offer its citizens a digital identity wallet. This section explains the regulation behind it, what the wallet can and cannot do, how private it really is, and what it means for banks, shops and anyone who has to check who they are dealing with.
15 pages
In this section
Digital identity for banking: eID vs video ident
How banks verify your identity online: eID, video identification or bank-issued IDs. What the new AML rules from 2027 and the EUDI Wallet change for onboarding.
eIDAS 2.0 explained: what the EU identity law changes
eIDAS 2.0 (Regulation (EU) 2024/1183) obliges every EU country to offer a digital identity wallet. Key dates, what changes for citizens, and who must accept it.
EU age verification app: the blueprint explained
The EU age verification blueprint lets you prove you are over 18 without revealing who you are. How it works, who pilots it and how it ties into the DSA.
EU Digital Identity Wallet (EUDI Wallet) explained
What the EU Digital Identity Wallet is, what you can store in it, how it works technically and where it stands in October 2026. Free and voluntary.
EU Digital Identity Wallet FAQ: your questions answered
Quick answers on the EU Digital Identity Wallet: cost, whether it is mandatory, availability by country, privacy, lost phones, children and non-EU residents.
EU wallet security: phishing, lost phones, fake verifiers
How secure is the EU Digital Identity Wallet? Risks such as phishing, a lost phone, malware and fake verifiers, built-in protections and your checklist.
EUDI Wallet privacy: selective disclosure and unlinkability
How private is the EU Digital Identity Wallet? What selective disclosure, pseudonyms and unlinkability promise, where gaps remain and what you can do.
EUDI Wallet rollout timeline 2024–2027 (status Oct 2026)
Key dates of the EU Digital Identity Wallet from 2024 to 2027, plus which countries are live, in pilot or still planning, as of October 2026.
European Business Wallet: what it is and where it stands
The European Business Wallet is the EU plan for a company wallet covering identity, signing, sealing and documents. What it contains and its status, Oct 2026.
Identity vs authentication: why a login is not an ID
Identification, identity proofing, authentication and authorisation are four different things. What separates them and what it means for passkeys and eID.
Levels of assurance in eIDAS: low, substantial, high
eIDAS defines three assurance levels for electronic identification: low, substantial and high. What they mean and which one the EU wallet needs.
Mobile driving licence (mDL) in Europe: status 2026
The EU will put the digital driving licence into the EUDI Wallet. What the 2025 directive says, how ISO 18013-5 works and what you can use today.
Qualified electronic signature (QES) explained
A qualified electronic signature (QES) equals a handwritten one across the EU. How it works, how to get one and what the EUDI Wallet changes for signing.
Using your national eID in another EU country
Can you sign in to a French, Italian or Estonian public service with your own national eID? How eIDAS recognition and eIDAS nodes work, and where it still fails.
What is a digital identity? A plain-language guide
A digital identity is the set of data and proofs that show who you are online. Learn how it works, the main types in Europe and why the EU is reshaping it.
Other sections
Digital ID by country
How online identification works in every EU and EEA country, Switzerland, the UK and Turkey: the national eID, the wallet status, and how to get it.
Passkeys and login security
Passkeys, two-factor authentication, hardware keys and account recovery, explained step by step. How to make your accounts hard to take over without making them hard to use.
Reviews and comparisons
Independent comparisons of password managers, hardware security keys and authenticator apps, with a close look at where your data is stored and which providers are European.
Identity standards explained
OpenID Connect, OAuth 2.0, SAML, FIDO2/WebAuthn, OpenID4VP and verifiable credentials explained in plain language, with what each one is actually for.
History of open identity
From OpenID 1.0 and the European OpenID community of 2007 to OpenID Connect and the EU wallet: how the idea of a portable, user-controlled login developed.