What is the European Digital Identity (EUDI) Wallet and when will it be released?

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The European Digital Identity (EUDI) Wallet is the European Union’s official digital wallet, letting citizens, residents and businesses securely store, manage and share identity documents and verifiable attributes. Regulation (EU) 2024/1183 has been in force since 20 May 2024; Member States must make at least one national wallet available by December 2026.

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At a glance

• The EUDI Wallet is the EU’s digital wallet under Regulation (EU) 2024/1183, in force since 20 May 2024.
• All Member States must make at least one national wallet available by 24 December 2026; the acceptance obligation for businesses and public bodies starts by 24 December 2027.
• In Italy, the IT Wallet has moved from pilot phase to full operation with two implementing decrees published in the Official Gazette in summer 2026 (Gazette No. 169/2026 and No. 178/2026).
• Italy’s deadlines: 3 August 2027 for public bodies to register as “authentic sources”, 3 February 2028 for IPZS to start issuing attestations.
• For citizens, using the wallet remains optional today, both at EU level and in Italy.
• The IT Wallet is Italy’s national digital wallet: it was built as Italy’s implementation of the EUDI Wallet model, though full technical convergence with the EU certification is still in progress.

What is the European Digital Identity (EUDI) Wallet

The EUDI Wallet is the EU’s new digital wallet, letting citizens, residents and businesses securely manage and share their digital identity and personal documents.
It’s an evolution beyond tools like Italy’s SPID or CIE, since it brings several “verifiable attributes” together in a single application, such as:

• passport, driving licence and civil registry certificates;
• credentials for accessing public services;
• data for bank onboarding or age verification;
• qualified electronic signatures and identities.

Each user can decide which information to share and with whom, thanks to a system following Self Sovereign Identity (SSI) principles, ensuring privacy and full control over personal data.

The European regulatory framework: from eIDAS 2.0 to Regulation (EU) 2024/1183

The new European digital identity framework was established by Regulation (EU) 2024/1183, approved by the European Parliament in February 2024 and in force since 20 May 2024.
This regulation updates the previous eIDAS Regulation (EU) 910/2014, introducing the concept of a certified digital wallet valid across the Union.

Since 2024, the European Commission has issued several sets of Implementing Acts:

• December 2024 → first technical specifications on interoperability and security;
• May 2025 → requirements on certification, reference architecture and wallet governance;
• further updates expected by 2026, ahead of the national wallets’ rollout.

IT Wallet and EUDI Wallet: what’s the relationship?

The IT Wallet isn’t simply an Italian copy of the EUDI Wallet, but it isn’t a fully separate project either: it’s Italy’s national digital wallet, integrated into the IO app and governed by Article 64-quater of the Digital Administration Code, designed from the outset as Italy’s implementation of the EUDI Wallet model set out in Regulation (EU) 2024/1183.

In practical terms, the IT Wallet was built and has evolved under Italian national law (the CAD), not as a direct certification under the EU’s implementing acts for the EUDI Wallet. The convergence process is still ongoing — Italy must ensure at least one EUDI Wallet compliant with the EU regulation is available by December 2026, and the IT Wallet is the architectural and organisational basis on which this alignment is being built.

In short: the IT Wallet is Italy’s digital wallet, designed to become (or fully converge with) Italy’s EUDI Wallet, but the two terms are not yet perfectly interchangeable from a technical and regulatory standpoint.

The IT Wallet decree: from pilot phase to full operation in Italy

In Italy, the IT Wallet’s legal framework has moved from a pilot phase to full operation with the publication of two implementing decrees under Article 64-quater of the Digital Administration Code: the decree of 17 June 2026, approving the IT Wallet System Guidelines and pilot rules (Gazzetta Ufficiale No. 169 of 23 July 2026), and the decree of 19 March 2026 on the IT Wallet System’s regulation (Gazzetta Ufficiale No. 178 of 3 August 2026), the date on which the measure entered into force.

The decree sets a compliance timeline for public administration: from 3 August 2026, National Registry of Resident Population (ANPR) offices and bodies managing civil registry data must already be operational; by 3 August 2027 (twelve months after entry into force), municipalities, public bodies and public service providers must register as “authentic sources” in the system, making their data available as electronic attestations; by 3 February 2028 (eighteen months), the Istituto Poligrafico della Zecca di Stato (IPZS) will be able to issue electronic personal identification attestations, following identity verification via CIE or SPID at a high assurance level.

The system’s technical infrastructure is managed by PagoPA S.p.A., while for citizens, use of the IT Wallet remains, for now, optional. The service has already surpassed 17 million uploaded documents (driving licence, health card and European disability card), confirming rapid adoption even ahead of the obligation for public administration.

Why the EUDI Wallet matters

The EUDI Wallet is a pillar of the Digital Decade 2030 programme, aiming to:

• digitalise 100% of EU public services by the end of the decade;
• ensure an interoperable and secure digital single market;
• improve the protection of personal data for European citizens;
• reduce fragmentation among national digital identity systems.

Additionally, the decentralised management model based on “verifiable attributes” allows for greater privacy and direct control over the use of one’s own information, since the “wallet” model closely resembles Self Sovereign Identity, a type of digital identity based on Blockchain.

When will the EUDI Wallet be available

The European roadmap sets out the following key milestones:

Date	Event	Description
December 2024 – May 2025	Publication of the Implementing Acts	Definition of common technical rules.
By 24 December 2026	Release of national wallets	Every EU Member State must provide at least one EUDI Wallet to citizens.
By 24 December 2027	Acceptance obligation	Obliged businesses and public bodies must accept identification via the wallet.

Meanwhile, the European Large Scale Pilots are underway, testing concrete use cases such as:

• cross-border access to public services;
• opening digital bank accounts;
• qualified electronic signature and business onboarding.

Among the consortia involved is POTENTIAL, of which Intesa is a partner, engaged in developing digital infrastructure and defining European best practices.

Countries involved and progress so far

Nearly all Member States have launched their own national projects:

• Italy: the IT Wallet has entered full operation with implementing decrees published in the Official Gazette (No. 169/2026 and No. 178/2026), setting deadlines of 3 August 2027 for public administration and 3 February 2028 for IPZS; it integrates SPID and CIE and is managed by PagoPA S.p.A. and the Istituto Poligrafico della Zecca di Stato, under the coordination of the Department for Digital Transformation;
• France and Germany: pilots underway for access to public services and digital healthcare;
• Spain and the Netherlands: testing secure identification for university and financial services;
• Bulgaria, Croatia, Malta and Romania: still in the planning phase, with adaptation programmes expected in 2026.

What businesses and public administrations should do now

1. Prepare for interoperability
   Update authentication systems to integrate the European wallet’s future APIs.
2. Monitor European regulations
   Follow new Implementing Acts and the Commission’s official technical specifications.
3. Ensure eIDAS 2.0 compliance
   Adapt internal data management, electronic signature and authentication procedures.
4. Test concrete use cases
   Trial pilot applications: access to public portals, customer onboarding, digital identity management for B2B services.
5. Promote digital culture
   Raise awareness among citizens and employees about the benefits of the European wallet and the responsible use of digital identity.

Outlook for 2026-2027

With official release expected by December 2026, the EUDI Wallet project will mark the start of a new phase for European digital citizenship.
2027 will be the key year for full adoption by businesses and public administration, moving from multiple national systems to a single, interoperable, sovereign model. In Italy this path has already begun: the 3 August 2027 and 3 February 2028 deadlines make the Italian case one of the most advanced in Europe.

Glossary

• EUDI Wallet: the EU’s digital wallet under Regulation (EU) 2024/1183, allowing identity documents and verifiable attributes to be stored and shared across the EU.
• eIDAS 2.0: the revision of the eIDAS Regulation (EU 910/2014) that introduces the EUDI Wallet and new electronic identification standards.
• Self Sovereign Identity (SSI): a digital identity model where the user independently controls which data to share and with whom.
• Implementing Acts: acts through which the European Commission defines the detailed technical specifications of EU regulations.
• IT Wallet: Italy’s version of the EUDI Wallet, integrated with SPID and CIE.
• Authentic source: a public body that makes its data available as electronic attestations within the IT Wallet System.
• Electronic attestation: a digital document certifying data or a qualification of a natural or legal person.
• IPZS: the Italian State Mint and Polygraphic Institute, responsible for issuing personal identification electronic attestations.
• ANPR: Italy’s National Registry of Resident Population, the civil registry database linked to the IT Wallet System.
• PagoPA S.p.A.: the company responsible for managing the IT Wallet System’s public technical infrastructure.
• IT Wallet: Italy’s national digital wallet, governed by Article 64-quater of the CAD and integrated with SPID and CIE, developed as Italy’s implementation of the EUDI Wallet model — not yet fully identical to the EU certification, whose full alignment is expected by December 2026.

Conclusions

The EUDI Wallet marks the shift towards a single, interoperable European digital identity model. In Italy, the IT Wallet has already moved past the pilot phase: implementing decrees published in summer 2026 set a clear path towards mandatory adoption by public administration, with operational deadlines in 2027 and 2028. For businesses and public bodies, monitoring regulatory developments and preparing for interoperability remains the priority in the coming months.

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