Glossary
eIDAS (electronic IDentification, Authentication and trust Services) is EU regulation that establishes a framework for electronic identification and trust services, including electronic signatures, seals, timestamps, and, under its updated version (eIDAS 2.0), the EU Digital Identity Wallet, enabling secure, cross-border digital identity and transactions across the EU. It’s a cornerstone of Europe’s approach to trusted digital identity.
The goal of eIDAS is to make electronic identity and trust services work reliably and interoperably across all EU member states, so a digital identity or signature recognized in one country is recognized in others.
The original eIDAS established: electronic identification (a framework for member states’ national eID schemes to be mutually recognized), and trust services (electronic signatures, electronic seals, timestamps, and website authentication certificates) with defined legal standing. It created assurance levels (low, substantial, high) for electronic identification, giving a common language for how strongly an identity has been established.
The updated eIDAS 2.0 is significant: it mandates the EU Digital Identity Wallet, a digital wallet that EU citizens and residents can use to store and present verified identity credentials and attributes across borders and services, public and private. This is a major push toward decentralized, user-controlled, reusable digital identity at scale, and it’s expected to drive adoption of verifiable credentials and privacy-preserving verification (like proving an attribute without oversharing). For businesses, the wallet promises a standardized, trusted way to verify EU customers.
eIDAS shapes how digital identity works for anyone operating in Europe. The EU Digital Identity Wallet, in particular, points toward a future where customers can present pre-verified, trusted identity credentials, potentially streamlining onboarding and reducing repeated verification (reusable identity). Organizations serving EU customers will increasingly need to accept and interoperate with wallet-based identity, making eIDAS readiness a forward-looking consideration for identity strategy. It also reinforces the direction toward verifiable credentials and decentralized identity that’s emerging globally.
What is eIDAS?
EU regulation for electronic identification and trust services (e-signatures, seals, timestamps) and, under eIDAS 2.0, the EU Digital Identity Wallet.
What is the EU Digital Identity Wallet?
A wallet mandated by eIDAS 2.0 for EU citizens to store and present verified identity credentials across borders and services.
Why does eIDAS matter for businesses?
It standardizes trusted, cross-border digital identity in the EU and points toward wallet-based, reusable identity that businesses will need to accept.
What are eIDAS assurance levels?
Low, substantial, and high, a common scale for how strongly an electronic identity has been established.
Related: Verifiable Credentials · Decentralized Identity · Digital Identity · Portable / Reusable Identity · GDPR
