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.
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These answers sum up the most common questions about the EU Digital Identity Wallet (EUDI Wallet). For the full explanation, read the EU Digital Identity Wallet explained. Facts are as of October 2026 and based on the regulation, the Commission’s wallet portal and independent trackers.
The basics
Do I have to use the wallet?
No. Member states must offer it, but you decide whether to use it. The law says that using the wallet cannot be a precondition for accessing public or private services. If you prefer a physical card or a classic login, you can keep it.
Does the wallet cost anything?
No, not for individuals. Qualified electronic signatures are free for non-professional use. Businesses that accept the wallet may bear integration costs, but they cannot charge you for presenting your credentials.
What can I store in it?
At launch, expect your person identification data (name, date of birth and similar) and a few credentials, such as a mobile driving licence or a proof of age. Later versions are meant to hold diplomas, professional qualifications, health and social security data, tickets and more.
Is it one app for the whole EU?
No. Each country provides or recognises its own wallet. They are built to the same technical rules, using open standards such as OpenID4VCI and OpenID4VP, so they interoperate.
Availability
Is it available now?
In some places. Denmark launched its national wallet AltID in June 2026. Germany, France, Italy and Norway offer public test environments, and many other countries have announced projects or are upgrading existing apps. Check the rollout timeline for the current picture.
Does Switzerland, Norway or the UK take part?
The EU regulation binds EU member states. Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein are EEA countries and are working on compatible solutions. Switzerland is building a state e-ID on its own legal basis; in June 2026 the launch was postponed without a fixed date, with the trust infrastructure now expected in the first half of 2027. The United Kingdom runs a separate programme.
What if I live in one EU country but hold another nationality?
The wallet is meant for citizens and residents, so each country decides how residents get their credentials. You may end up with the wallet of your country of residence or nationality, depending on national rules. Check the rules of the country that issued your ID.
Which technologies does it use?
The wallet relies on OpenID4VCI to receive credentials and OpenID4VP to present them, with SD-JWT VC and mdoc as credential formats. These are open standards, so independent implementations can interoperate. Our standards section covers each of them in more depth.
Can I sign contracts with it?
Yes, that is one planned function. Member states must make a qualified electronic signature available to individuals free of charge for non-professional use, and the wallet is meant to be the way to create it. In some countries the signature feature will arrive after the first launch.
Will my bank accept it?
Banks must accept the wallet for customer identification from around 24 December 2027. Some may offer it earlier. Until then, expect your bank’s existing app and login to remain the main route.
Privacy and safety
Can the government track me through the wallet?
The design aims to prevent this: you approve each presentation, providers must not collect more usage data than necessary and verifiers register what they will request. Perfect unlinkability is technically hard and still being improved. Our page on privacy and unlinkability explains the limits honestly.
What if I lose my phone?
Report the loss so the wallet can be revoked, then install the wallet on a new device and re-issue your credentials. Details differ by country. See wallet security.
Will a shop or website be able to take all my data?
A service can only receive what it requests and what you approve. It must be registered and declare its purposes. If a request looks excessive, decline it and report it to the authority that registered the service or to your data protection authority.
Can children have a wallet?
The regulation does not set a minimum age for the wallet itself. National implementations decide who can obtain one and under which conditions, for example based on identity documents held. Age-proof credentials are a major use case; see EU age verification.
Businesses and legal points
Who must accept the wallet?
Public bodies that require electronic identification, regulated private services that must use strong user authentication, such as banks, and very large online platforms must accept it. The private-sector duty applies from around 24 December 2027. Micro and small enterprises are generally exempt. Details are in eIDAS 2.0 explained.
Is there a wallet for companies?
The personal wallet is for natural persons. For organisations, the Commission is developing a separate European Business Wallet.
Which assurance level does it have?
The wallet must reach level high, the top of the three eIDAS levels. We explain them in levels of assurance.
Where to find official information
The legal text is on EUR-Lex, and the Commission’s wallet portal hosts the technical documents. National governments will publish the official download links for their wallets. Be cautious with apps that merely claim to be ‘the EU wallet’ and check the official government page first.
Frequently asked questions
What is the EU Digital Identity Wallet?
It is a mobile app, provided or recognised by each EU member state, that holds your official identity data and other verified credentials such as a driving licence or a diploma. You can present them online or in person and choose which details to share.
Is it free and voluntary?
Yes. The regulation provides that the wallet is free of charge for natural persons and that using it is voluntary. Access to services must not depend on having one.
When will it be available in my country?
The legal deadline is around 24 December 2026, but rollout is staggered. As of October 2026 Denmark has a national wallet live, and Germany plans the first public stage of its wallet in early 2027. See the rollout timeline for your country.
Does the wallet work in other EU countries?
That is a core goal. All wallets follow common technical and legal rules, so a credential from one member state should be accepted by services that support the wallet in another. In practice, cross-border use will grow as more services register and integrate.
Where can I read the official rules?
The legal text is Regulation (EU) 2024/1183 on EUR-Lex, and the European Commission publishes the technical Architecture and Reference Framework and the implementing acts on its wallet portal.
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