What exactly is the EUDI Wallet?
The EUDI Wallet is a smartphone app that stores your identity data and other digital credentials, so you can show or share them when needed. It is based on Regulation (EU) 2024/1183 on the European Digital Identity Framework, in force since 20 May 2024.
At its core is your person identification data. Under Implementing Regulation (EU) 2024/2977, five items are mandatory: family name, given name, date of birth, place of birth and nationality. Electronic attestations come on top, such as a driving licence, a diploma or a prescription.
A wallet can be provided by a Member State, by a body under its mandate, or by an independent provider the state recognises. Each country certifies its wallets, and the source code of the app components must be released under an open-source licence.
What will the wallet let you do?
The regulation requires these features, among others, and the European Commission adds typical uses:
- Identify yourself to public bodies and companies, online and in person, including in other EU countries.
- Share only what is needed: for example your age, without disclosing your full identity.
- Sign documents with a qualified electronic signature, free by default. Countries may limit free use to non-professional purposes.
- Use pseudonyms, stored encrypted inside the wallet.
- Keep track: a dashboard shows who you shared data with. From there you can ask for erasure and report suspicious requests to your data protection authority.
- Present credentials, for example for banking, a job application or enrolling at university.
Fictional example: Niamh lives in Cork. In December 2026 an email claims her ID card will be cancelled unless she activates her EU wallet within 48 hours. She knows the wallet is optional and deletes the message. When a car-sharing app asks whether she is over 21, she checks that only that attribute is requested and shares nothing else.
Who has to accept the wallet, and from when?
The deadlines are tied to the first implementing regulations, published in the Official Journal on 4 December 2024 and in force 20 days later. That gives this timeline:
| When | What happens |
|---|---|
| 20 May 2024 | Regulation (EU) 2024/1183 enters into force. |
| December 2024 | The first implementing regulations, including on identity data, enter into force. |
| End of 2026 | Every EU country must provide at least one wallet (24 months later). |
| 2 January 2027 | Germany launches its state wallet, d-you, with around 40 partners. |
| End of 2027 | Larger private companies in certain sectors must accept the wallet when you ask to use it (36 months later). |
| About a year after d-you | Germany plans to let non-state wallets be certified. |
Public bodies that require electronic identification online must also accept EUDI Wallets. So must private companies where law or contract requires strong authentication, for example in banking, transport, energy, health or telecoms; micro and small enterprises are exempt. Very large online platforms with a login must accept it too and may ask only for the minimum data. All of this applies when you choose to use the wallet.
Do you have to use it, and what does it cost?
No. The regulation states that using the wallet is voluntary. People who do not use one must not be disadvantaged in accessing services, in the labour market or in business, and other ways of identifying yourself must remain available.
Issuing, using and revoking the wallet is free of charge for all individuals. Germany's digital ministry says the same about d-you: free, voluntary, and offline services will continue.
Tip: A message that threatens deadlines, blocked documents or fees for the wallet does not match these rules. Do not use its link; go to the official website yourself.
Where do the countries stand?
| Country | Status | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| Germany | State wallet d-you from 2 January 2027 | Meant to hold credentials such as the ID card and driving licence; features and credentials will be expanded step by step after launch. |
| Austria | Same end-2026 deadline | In June 2026 the Federal Chancellery named developing ID Austria further and implementing the EUDI Wallet as a priority, but gave no launch date. |
| France, Spain | Same end-2026 deadline | Rely on official announcements from the national government and install only apps it links to. |
| Italy | IT-Wallet system already live in the IO app | Since December 2024, adult citizens and residents can add their driving licence, health insurance card and European Disability Card to IO. The system is to be aligned with the EUDI Wallet step by step. |
| Switzerland | Not in the EU; the regulation does not apply | The federal government is introducing its own free, voluntary e-ID for the swiyu Wallet app. In June 2026 the launch was postponed; the exact date will be announced later. |
If you live in Germany, our guide to setting up Germany's EUDI Wallet walks you through d-you. In Switzerland, the e-ID will be tied to your phone: if you change or lose it, you will need to request a new one.
How is your data protected, and what is up to you?
For d-you, the German ministry states that your data stays only on your smartphone, is processed in encrypted form, and that central storage or profiling is technically ruled out. The source code is public, and according to a ministry notice of 9 October 2026, independent security researchers are testing d-you for vulnerabilities in a public bug bounty programme.
Some things are up to you. Get the app only through your government's link; our guide on finding the genuine app provider shows how to check a store listing. Because the wallet is tied to your device, it is worth preparing for a lost phone. For legal questions about a specific contract, an advice service or professional can help.
Common mistakes
- Treating the wallet as compulsory and reacting to pushy messages.
- Installing a wallet app from an advert or a text-message link instead of your government's official site.
- Expecting every shop and bank to accept it from January 2027. The duty for private companies starts at the end of 2027 and excludes small firms.
- Sharing everything when a request needs only one attribute, such as your age.
- Waiting for the EU wallet in Switzerland, where the federal e-ID is planned instead.
Your checklist
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Common questions
When will the EU Digital Identity Wallet be available?
The regulation requires every EU country to provide at least one wallet within 24 months of the first implementing regulations; the European Commission summarises this as by the end of 2026. National launch dates differ: Germany's state wallet d-you, for example, starts on 2 January 2027 and will gain features step by step.
Is the EUDI Wallet mandatory?
No. The regulation makes use of the wallet voluntary. Nobody who does without it may be disadvantaged when accessing services or at work, and other ways of identifying yourself must remain available. You can keep showing your ID card or using today's online procedures, and a message claiming otherwise is a reason to check via official channels.
Does the EUDI Wallet cost anything?
Not for individuals. Under the regulation, issuing, using and revoking the wallet is free of charge for all natural persons. Qualified electronic signatures are also free by default, although countries may limit free use to non-professional purposes. If someone asks you to pay to activate a wallet, check via the official website first.
Sources and further information
Primary sources from public authorities, consumer organisations and providers. A source may be in another language; follow the guidance that applies to your service and where you live.
- EUR-Lex: Regulation (EU) 2024/1183, Articles 5a, 5c and 5fSource review date:
- EUR-Lex: Implementing Regulation (EU) 2024/2977 on person identification dataSource review date:
- European Commission: Q&A on digital identitySource review date:
- Bundesministerium für Digitales und Staatsmodernisierung (Germany): EUDI Wallet d-you (German)Source review date:
- Federal Chancellery of Austria: digital budget, ID Austria and EUDI Wallet, 20 June 2026 (German)Source review date:
- innovazione.gov.it (Italy): Sistema IT-Wallet (Italian)Source review date:
- Swiss Confederation: The e-ID (German)Source review date:
- Swiss Confederation: New timeline for the introduction of the e-ID and the trust infrastructure, 30 June 2026Source review date:
