Insights
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Aug 22, 2025
Electronic IDs (eIDs) are fast becoming the backbone of digital identity worldwide, from mobile driver’s licenses (mDLs) in the US to the upcoming European Digital Identity (EUDI) Wallet in Europe.
They are more secure and more convenient for users than traditional document-based verification, eliminating the need for manual uploads and long waiting times. Meanwhile, governments are driving rollout and regulations are accelerating adoption. Together, these forces underline that electronic IDs are fast becoming the new norm in digital identity. According to Gartner, over 500 million people will be using digital identity wallets by 2026 alone, reflecting the rapid shift toward eID-based verification.
Yet, despite the momentum, one fact remains: for most trust service providers, eID integration is a daunting challenge.
eIDAS 2.0: The push for digital identity adoption
eIDAS 2.0, the updated EU regulation on electronic identification, authentication and trust services, is set to transform how digital identities are issued, verified and accepted across the European Union. By 2030, the European Commission aims for 80% of EU residents to use electronic ID (eID) for public and private services.
The rollout began on May 20, 2024, when the fully revised regulation entered into force, followed by two sets of Implementing Acts in November 2024 and May 2025 to define technical specifications and certification standards for the European Digital Identity (EUDI) Wallets.
Looking ahead:
By 2026: EU Member States must make European Digital Identity (EUDI) Wallets available to citizens, residents and businesses.
By 2027: Relying parties (defined under the ARF as service providers depending on user’s digital identity to offer their services) must accept EUDI Wallet as a valid method of identity verification, paving the way toward the 2030 adoption goal.
Overview of eIDAS 2.0 timeline
What this means for IDV providers
The growing adoption of eIDs and EUDI Wallets means that more organizations, and by extension their customers, will start requesting eID and EUDI wallet capabilities from their identity verification providers. On one hand, failing to provide this functionality puts IDVs at risk of losing customers to competitors who already do.
On the other hand, integrating with a wide range of national eIDs creates an opportunity to expand into new markets. By enabling global eID coverage, IDV providers can support their customers’ cross-border operations, unlock new revenue streams and position themselves as trusted partners in the evolving digital identity landscape.
But turning this opportunity into reality is far from simple, as integrating eIDs brings its own set of challenges.
The reality behind eID integration
The promise of eIDs is clear:
Government-level security
Instant verification instead of document uploads and manual checks
Seamless onboarding across devices and channels
But behind the scenes, eID integration isn’t the easiest plug-and-play.
It’s a fragmented, high-friction process that can overwhelm even the most advanced IDV platforms while also requiring them to navigate new technical, administrative and compliance layers.
Choosing the best integration approach
Given the complexity of integrating multiple national eIDs and digital wallets, the approach to eID integration becomes a critical decision for businesses as well as IDV providers. There are essentially two ways to proceed: direct or indirect integration.
The two eID integration methods
Direct Integration: The hands-on route
Direct Integration means companies connect to each national eID system individually. At first connecting directly to these systems sounds straightforward but in reality it comes with 3 major integration challenges:
Administrative hurdles: Accessing each eID environment requires local authorization, contracts and vetting, which often means months of paperwork and costly process.
Technical complexity: Each country uses different protocols, encryption methods and authentication flows, meaning each eID is essentially different.
Cultural challenges: Each country defines and accepts different Levels of Assurance (LoA) for identity credentials. A student card in South Korea may be legally recognized as an identity document, while the same credential would be rejected in France. On top of this, the data provided by eIDs vary widely from country to country, creating inconsistencies that complicate onboarding and verification.
Indirect Integration: Streamlining eID access
Role and definition of intermediary under eIDAS 2.0
Indirect integration on the other hand means working with an identity intermediary. Under eIDAS 2.0, an intermediary is defined in the Architecture Reference Framework (ARF) as a special type of Relying Party that acts on behalf of other Relying Parties, such as IDV providers or other trust service providers.
Intermediaries are legally treated as if they were Relying Parties themselves, meaning they carry the same responsibilities, but with one important difference: they are not allowed to store the content of the transactions they handle.
In practice, this means that instead of building and maintaining separate connections to each national eID, organizations can connect once to an intermediary, who then handles the technical, administrative and compliance work required to support multiple eIDs at scale.
Considerations in Choosing the Right eID Intermediary
Selecting the right identity intermediary isn’t just about simplifying integrations, it’s about ensuring your solution can deliver long-term coverage, compliance and scalability.
When choosing an intermediary, organizations should consider the following criteria:
Identity needs & assurance level: Coverage of national eIDs and prioritization by region; support for different Levels of Assurance (LoA) (high, substantial, low) and verification scopes.
High LoA compatibility: Ensure the intermediary supports certified eIDs under frameworks like eIDAS or NIST.
Standards compliance: Compatibility with eIDAS 2.0, NIST 800-63 and other relevant national frameworks.
Protocol coverage: Support for standards such as OID4VP, OpenID Connect, and emerging national wallets.
LoA & data normalization: Standardized attributes and assurance tagging across countries to reduce onboarding friction.
Latency & failover: Fast, resilient credential exchange with high availability guarantees.
Audit-ability: Comprehensive logging of credential flows and enterprise access records for regulatory readiness.
Privacy & neutrality: No PII storage; only live credential exchange, ensuring neutrality and compliance.
Third-party integrations: Smooth integration with fraud detection, monitoring, and analytics tools.
Future readiness: Compliance with current regulations (eIDAS 1, AML Directive) while anticipating upcoming ones (eIDAS 2, AML Regulation).
By focusing on these factors, IDV providers can select an intermediary that simplifies eID access today, while simultaneously reducing integration timelines and costs.
Why partnering with an eID intermediary matters now
With global momentum behind eID adoption, solving integration today offers first-mover advantage in winning enterprise contracts, cross-border deals and regulated-industry clients by delivering coverage and conversion together.
This is exactly the challenge Hopae set out to solve. Our product hConnect delivers everything needed to make eID integration efficient, scalable and future-proof.
hConnect: One API, global eID coverage
Hopae’s hConnect is your trusted intermediary for electronic ID verification by offering:
100+ eIDs available, with full EU coverage by Q3 2026
99% wallet compatibility
Compliance‑by‑design (eIDAS 2.0, GDPR, ISO 27001, SOC 2)
Customizable UX to keep cross‑border onboarding consistent
Plug‑and‑play with existing IDV workflows
Login process with the EUDI-Wallet
Turning eID compliance into a competitive advantage
Momentum around digital identity, eIDs and EUDI Wallet integration is accelerating, and IDV providers who start to integrate eIDs early will be positioned to lead in the cross-border identity market.
Hopae’s hConnect is built to make that possible. Alongside a single API for global coverage of eIDs and digital wallets — including the EUDI Wallet — IDVs also gain access to our dedicated integration experts and consultation services.
