Oct 21, 2026
eIDAS 2.0 and Physical ID Cards: Why the Digital Wallet Makes the Card More Important, Not Less
By the end of 2026, every EU Member State must offer its citizens at least one European Digital Identity Wallet. A year or so later, banks, telecom operators and large online platforms will have to accept it. The obvious question follows: if identity moves to the phone, what happens to the ID card?
The short answer is that the card stays. The wallet complements physical documents and does not replace them. In most countries, the card’s chip is the most direct way to put a trusted identity into the wallet in the first place. This guide explains what eIDAS 2.0 requires, how the wallet and the card work together, and what it means for issuing authorities.
eIDAS 2.0 in Brief
Regulation (EU) 2024/1183, known as eIDAS 2.0, amended the original 2014 eIDAS Regulation. It entered into force on 20 May 2024. Its central element is the European Digital Identity Wallet, often called the EUDI Wallet.
The wallet is an app, provided or recognised by each Member State, in which citizens and residents can store their person identification data and other attestations, such as a driving licence, a diploma or a bank account. They can then present this data to public and private services, online and in person, and decide what to share each time.
Three principles shape it. Use is voluntary: no one can be forced to use a wallet. It is free for citizens. It must be interoperable across all Member States.
The Timeline
- 20 May 2024: eIDAS 2.0 enters into force
- Late 2024: Core implementing acts for the wallet adopted, starting the 24-month countdown
- 2025: Further implementing acts on trust services, attestations and certification
- May 2026: New certified requirements for remote identity proofing apply
- End of 2026: Each Member State must provide at least one certified wallet
- Around end of 2027: Regulated private services and very large online platforms must accept the wallet
National plans vary. Germany has scheduled its state wallet for early January 2027. France planned public testing in the second half of 2026. Poland is integrating the wallet into its mObywatel app. Some Member States will be ready on time, while others will phase in services gradually.
Will the Wallet Replace the ID Card?
No. Member States may issue digital identity data within the wallet, but physical documents remain valid. The wallet is an additional channel, not a substitute.
There are four practical reasons why the card is here to stay.
Not everyone has a smartphone, or wants to use one
Many older citizens, children, people with disabilities and people on low incomes do not have a compatible phone. Others will simply prefer a card. Because the wallet is voluntary, public services must keep working with physical documents.
Travel still needs a physical document
The wallet is designed for identification and attestations within the EU digital space. Crossing a border relies on ICAO-standard travel documents: the passport and, within the EU, the national ID card. Digital travel credentials derived from passport chips are being developed, but they build on the physical document rather than replacing it.
Phones get lost, broken and hacked
A wallet on a lost or broken phone needs to be restored. Restoring it securely requires a trusted proof of identity, and the physical card is often that proof.
The wallet needs a root of trust
This is the most important reason. A wallet is only as trustworthy as the identity data inside it. Getting that data into the wallet at a high level of assurance requires a strong identity check. The chip of an ICAO-compliant ID card provides exactly that.
How the Card Anchors the Wallet
In many Member States, the most direct way to activate a wallet is to read the national ID card with the phone.
The process is straightforward. The citizen opens the wallet app and holds the ID card against the phone. The app reads the chip through NFC. The citizen enters the card’s PIN. The app verifies the issuing state’s signature on the chip data and transfers the identity data into the wallet, where it is protected by its own PIN.
Deutsche Post’s identification service shows how this works in practice. Its wallet activation initially relies on the online ID function of the German ID card, the electronic residence permit or the eID card for EU citizens, read through NFC with the holder’s PIN.
The quality of the wallet therefore depends on the quality of the card. A card with a reliable chip, correct data and a well-captured portrait produces a reliable wallet. A card with errors produces a wallet with errors, or no wallet at all.
What This Means for Issuing Authorities
The card becomes infrastructure
Until now, an ID card was mainly a document to show. Under eIDAS 2.0, it also becomes the entry point into the digital identity system. Errors that once caused a small inconvenience, such as a faint portrait or a chip that fails to read, now block access to digital services.
Chip quality and data accuracy matter more
Every card should leave the issuing machine with a verified chip, correct data and a compliant portrait. Inline inspection that checks the engraved data against the chip data, and the MRZ against both, prevents cards that look fine but fail in the wallet.
Renewal timing matters
Citizens with older cards that lack a compliant chip cannot use them to activate a wallet. The 2031 deadline for non-compliant ID cards and the wallet rollout point in the same direction: get compliant cards to citizens as early as possible.
Issuance must be close and quick
If the card is the gateway to digital services, a citizen who loses it needs a replacement fast. Decentralised issuance, with cards personalised in local offices in minutes, avoids weeks without access to both the physical and the digital identity.
PINs and activation support
Many citizens forget or never activate the PIN of their card. Wallet adoption will push PIN resets and activation requests to local offices. Issuing systems and counter staff need to be ready for that.
What It Means for Banks and Businesses
Banks and other regulated services will have to accept the wallet for identification. Planning guides suggest working backwards from the end of 2027: legal scoping and vendor selection first, then integration and pilots, then production rollout.
They will also continue to see physical cards. Customers without a wallet, customers who prefer a card and customers whose wallet is not yet available will still present a document. The practical answer is to support both: wallet presentation and NFC reading of the card chip, using the same trust framework.
Physical and Digital: One Credential, Several Functions
The best way to think about eIDAS 2.0 is not card versus wallet. It is one identity, issued once by a trusted authority, and used through several channels. The card works at the border, at the bank counter and when the phone is dead. The wallet works online, on the move and for selective sharing of attributes. Both rely on the same issuance process, the same data and the same trust.
LIZAR builds for this convergence. Its DRACO personalisation systems produce the secure cards, and its NFC identity validation tools read them on everyday devices. The aim is a single trusted credential that serves several trust functions.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will the EU Digital Identity Wallet replace national ID cards?
No. The wallet complements physical documents, which remain valid. Use of the wallet is voluntary, so public services must keep accepting ID cards.
When must EU countries provide the digital identity wallet?
Each Member State must provide at least one certified wallet by the end of 2026. Regulated private services and very large online platforms must accept it about a year later.
How is the EUDI Wallet activated?
In many Member States, by reading the chip of the national ID card or residence permit with the phone through NFC, entering the card’s PIN and transferring the verified data into the wallet.
Can I travel with the EUDI Wallet instead of my ID card?
Border crossings still rely on ICAO travel documents such as the passport and the national ID card. Digital travel credentials are being developed, but they are derived from the physical document.
Is the EUDI Wallet mandatory for citizens?
No. eIDAS 2.0 states that use of the wallet is voluntary and free of charge for citizens.
What does eIDAS 2.0 mean for ID card issuers?
The card becomes the entry point to digital identity. Chip reliability, data accuracy, portrait quality and fast replacement become more important.
Do banks need to accept both the wallet and physical ID cards?
Banks must accept the wallet once the obligations apply. Many customers will still present physical cards, so supporting both is the practical approach.
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