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eIDAS
LegislationEU

eIDAS

EU regulation establishing a framework for electronic identification and trust services.

Last refreshed: 13 April 2026 · Appears in 1 active topic

Key Question

Will eIDAS 2.0 finally give Europeans a single digital identity that actually works across borders?

Background

eIDAS (Electronic Identification, Authentication and Trust Services) is the EU regulation establishing a cross-border framework for electronic identification and digital signatures, originally adopted in 2014 and significantly revised in 2024 through eIDAS 2.0. The 2024 revision introduced the EUDI Wallet — a mandatory EU Digital Identity Wallet that member states must make available to citizens by 2026. eIDAS creates the legal architecture for a European sovereign digital identity layer that operates independently of US platform identity systems (Google, Apple, Meta logins), directly addressing the concern that EU citizens' digital identities are mediated by US corporations.

Common Questions
What is eIDAS and what does it do?
eIDAS is an EU regulation creating a legal framework for electronic identification and digital signatures that work across all member states. The 2024 revision introduced the mandatory EUDI Wallet for digital ID.Source: European Commission eIDAS overview
What changed between eIDAS 1.0 and eIDAS 2.0?
eIDAS 2.0 added the mandatory EUDI Wallet, expanded the sectors required to accept digital IDs (banking, telecoms, utilities), and strengthened the qualified trust service provider framework.Source: European Commission eIDAS 2.0 impact assessment
Is eIDAS the same as the EUDI Wallet?
No. eIDAS is the overarching regulation. The EUDI Wallet is the specific digital identity application that eIDAS 2.0 requires all EU member states to provide to citizens by 2026.Source: European Commission eIDAS/EUDI relationship
Does eIDAS work in the UK after Brexit?
The UK is no longer covered by eIDAS and has developed its own digital identity framework (the Data Use and Access Act). UK digital IDs are not automatically recognised under EU eIDAS.Source: UK Government digital identity programme