By 2027, all EU member states must provide their citizens with a digital wallet. We'll tell you how you can identify yourself with your smartphone in the future.
Almost every smartphone already has a digital wallet, the so-called wallet. For example, you can save boarding passes or other tickets in the application. But payments with services such as Apple Pay or Google Pay are also possible.
The government digital wallet should work similarly. After its introduction, you will then be able to identify yourself digitally across the EU using your smartphone, according to the plan.
What is the digital wallet?
The basis for the European digital identity wallet (EUDI wallet) is an EU regulation that the European Parliament passed in February 2024. The amended eIDAS regulation requires all member states to provide an EUDI wallet by 2027.
The EU Commission has now defined regulations for the functions and certification of these wallets. Among other things, four implementing regulations are intended to set uniform standards.
These are necessary so that digital documents from different countries can be used across borders. Particular attention is paid to the issue of data protection.
In the future, personal data will be stored locally in the respective wallet. Users can also decide for themselves what information they share.
“European digital identity exchanges will provide private users and companies with a universal, trusted and secure way to identify themselves when accessing public and private services across borders,” says the European Commission.
What will the wallet look like in Germany?
In the future, however, you should not only be able to identify yourself digitally with the EUDI wallet. According to the Federal Ministry of the Interior, other official documents can also be saved on your smartphone, presented and signed with the qualified electronic signature (QES).
“We want citizens to be able to prove their identity quickly, securely and easily directly via their smartphone – without an additional card or reader,” explains Federal Minister of the Interior Nancy Faeser.
The EUDI wallet will be available free of charge and will contribute to digital inclusion, as everyone – regardless of their financial situation – will have access to digital services.
When will the digital wallet start in Germany?
According to the Federal Ministry of the Interior, the EUDI wallet should be usable for all citizens by 2027. The plan is to continuously expand the range of functions.
One of the first functions is intended for identification. In the future, you can transfer your online ID to your smartphone and save it in your wallet.
In the future, however, it will not only be the state digital wallet that will be available for these and other services. According to the Federal Ministry of the Interior, non-governmental providers can also develop an EUDI wallet and have it recognized.
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Source: https://www.basicthinking.de/blog/2024/12/06/digitale-brieftasche/
