eIDAS

eIDAS (EU Regulation 910/2014) governs electronic signatures, seals and eID across the EU; eIDAS 2 adds the EUDI Wallet and qualified signing.

eIDAS (electronic IDentification, Authentication and trust Services; EU Regulation 910/2014) is the European regulation on electronic identification and trust services, applicable since 1 July 2016. It defines three tiers of electronic signature - simple, advanced and qualified - plus seals, timestamps and other trust services, sets the rules for qualified providers, and arranges mutual recognition of national eID schemes. Under Article 25(1), an electronic signature cannot be denied legal effect solely because it is in electronic form; a qualified electronic signature additionally has the equivalent legal effect of a handwritten signature (Article 25(2)); the paragraph that spelled out recognition in every other member state, Article 25(3), was deleted by eIDAS 2.

The 2024 amendment (Regulation 2024/1183, "eIDAS 2") adds the EUDI Wallet: every member state must provide at least one wallet for identification, attributes and qualified signing, within 24 months of the implementing acts entering into force. Article 5a(1) frames the aim as secure cross-border access for all natural and legal persons in the Union, and Article 5a(5)(f) confirms a wallet can represent a legal person or someone acting for one. What is reserved for natural persons is the price: issuance, use and revocation are free of charge to them under Article 5a(13), as is signing under Article 5a(5)(g). It also introduces new trust services such as electronic attestations of attributes, archiving and ledgers.