Germany Introduces National EUDI Wallet Ahead of 2027 Launch

Germany has unveiled its national European Digital Identity Wallet, named “d-you,” ahead of its planned launch on January 2, 2027.

The wallet will allow users to store and use digital versions of identity documents, driving licenses, and other credentials on their smartphones. The German Federal Ministry for Digital and State Modernization presented the wallet in Berlin, describing it as a tool that gives users more control over their digital identity.

Around 40 partners are expected to support d-you at launch, including banks, postal services, utilities, universities, municipalities, and federal states. The wallet is intended to support use cases such as online identification, opening a bank account, and proving age, and it’s intended to be voluntary, free, and compliant with EU technical standards, encrypting data and storing it on the users’ devices – not in the cloud.

The rollout follows months of preparation and comes as the EU approaches its deadline for national wallets. Earlier plans for the German implementation identified digital identification as the wallet’s first core function, with digital documents and qualified electronic signatures to be added as the ecosystem develops.

The launch will also test how quickly businesses and public services can integrate digital credentials into existing identity and verification processes. Germany has already announced that d-you will launch with a network of relying parties, while additional use cases are expected to follow.