Digital Wallet & EUDI Wallet

No. Citizens will be free to choose whether to use the EUDI Wallet, and no one can be required to activate it or penalised for not doing so. The eIDAS 2.0 Regulation places obligations on Member States, which must make it available, and on service providers, which must accept it when users request it. The decision to use it, and to share each individual piece of data it contains, remains with the holder.

The EUDI Wallet is the European model; IT-Wallet is its Italian implementation. The former is the framework established by Regulation (EU) 2024/1183, which sets requirements, standards and interoperability rules applicable in all Member States. The latter is the Italian digital wallet system introduced by Article 64-quater of the Italian Digital Administration Code (CAD), consisting of a public solution accessible through the IO app and private solutions offered by AgID-accredited operators. IT-Wallet was established under national legislation, and the process of full alignment with European certification is under way.

In digital Wallet terminology, a credential is a set of data about a person or business, issued and electronically signed by an authorised entity. A driving licence, a health card, a degree or membership of a professional body all become credentials when issued in a verifiable digital format. The issuer’s signature prevents forgery, while the technology enables disclosure of only the necessary attribute, such as being of legal age, without revealing the full date of birth.

Selective disclosure is the ability to share only the individual piece of data requested from your Wallet, without showing the entire document containing it. To access a service restricted to adults, you do not need to present an identity card with your name, address and date of birth: confirmation that you are over eighteen is sufficient. The eIDAS 2.0 Regulation requires the EUDI Wallet to support this function and obliges parties requesting a credential to declare, when registering, which attributes they intend to request, without going beyond them.

The difference lies in who issues the Wallet, not in the value of its contents. The eIDAS 2.0 Regulation requires each Member State to make at least one free Public Wallet available, while also allowing certified private entities to offer their own. In Italy, Article 64-quater of the Digital Administration Code (CAD) structures the IT-Wallet System in exactly this way: a public solution accessible through the IO app and private IT-Wallet solutions provided by private operators accredited by AgID. The credentials stored have the same legal value.

Regulation (EU) 2024/1183, which establishes the EUDI Wallet, has been in force since 20 May 2024. The two key practical dates come later: by 24 December 2026, every Member State must make at least one Wallet compliant with the European framework available to citizens; by 24 December 2027, public administrations and businesses in regulated sectors will have to accept it as a means of identification. Use remains voluntary for citizens.

The Business Wallet is the digital wallet for businesses, the equivalent of the EUDI Wallet for legal entities. The European Commission proposed its establishment on 19 November 2025 as part of the Digital Omnibus package, to enable companies to identify themselves, exchange documents and carry out legally valid acts in all Member States through a single channel, with estimated savings of at least €150 billion a year. The Council of the EU adopted its negotiating position on 9 June 2026: the proposal is now being negotiated with the European Parliament.