eIDAS 2.0
eIDAS 2.0Also called european Digital Identity Framework, regulation (EU) 2024/1183
eIDAS 2.0 is the EU regulation that updates the 2014 eIDAS rules on electronic identification and trust services. It requires every member state to offer citizens a European Digital Identity Wallet. Banks and other firms required to use strong user authentication for online identification will have to accept the wallet when a customer asks.
How it works
A customer stores verified identity data, known as person identification data, in a wallet issued under a member state scheme. When opening an account, the customer shares only the attributes the bank requests, such as name and date of birth. The bank checks the data against the issuer's certificate and records the result as part of customer due diligence. Qualified electronic signatures and attestations can also travel through the same wallet.
For compliance teams, the wallet offers identity data at a high assurance level that the issuing state has already verified. The EU anti-money laundering regulation, which applies from 10 July 2027, names electronic identification and qualified trust services as accepted means of verifying identity. That link makes the wallet a likely default for remote onboarding. Firms still apply their own risk assessment and screening.
The rules
Creates the European Digital Identity Wallet and requires private relying parties that use strong user authentication to accept it at the user's request.
Member states, trust service providers and relying parties, including banksSet the technical rules for wallets and started the 24-month period in which each member state must provide a wallet.
Member states and wallet providersAllows identity verification through eIDAS electronic identification means at assurance level substantial or high and qualified trust services, alongside identity documents.
Banks, payment firms and other obliged entitiesCommon questions
When will EU banks have to accept the digital identity wallet?
Private relying parties that must use strong user authentication, including banks, have to accept the wallet at the user's request within 36 months of the implementing acts entering into force. Those acts took effect on 24 December 2024, which points to late 2027.
Does eIDAS 2.0 replace KYC checks?
No. The wallet supplies verified identity data, but firms still carry out customer due diligence under anti-money laundering rules. That includes screening, risk rating, beneficial ownership checks and ongoing monitoring of the relationship.
Is using the wallet compulsory for customers?
No. Citizens choose whether to use a wallet, and the regulation says use is voluntary. People who do not use a wallet must not be restricted or disadvantaged when accessing public or private services.
Does eIDAS 2.0 apply in the UK?
No. It is EU law and does not apply in the UK after Brexit. UK firms serving EU customers may still see EU wallets presented as identity evidence in their onboarding journeys.
Our coverage
News and analysis on KYC and identity from RegTech Post.
Read the coverage →RegTech PostKYC in 2024: Balancing Compliance, Privacy, and Customer ExperienceRead the article →RegTech PostAMLA 2026: EU Anti-Money Laundering Authority Rules, Timeline, and ImpactRead the article →
