The European Union's Digital Identity Wallet has officially launched in six member states — Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Netherlands, and Sweden — with 100 million citizens expected to have access by December 2026.
The wallet allows citizens to store and present government-issued identification, driving licences, health insurance cards, and educational credentials digitally. It is designed to be interoperable across all EU member states.
Privacy has been central to the design. The wallet uses zero-knowledge proofs, allowing users to verify attributes (e.g., 'I am over 18') without revealing their actual date of birth.
The initiative is part of the EU's broader digital sovereignty strategy, providing a European alternative to commercial identity systems operated by Apple, Google, and Facebook.