Austrian digital wallet can now house national ID, proof of age alongside mDLs

Austra’s digital ID wallet app can now hold fully digital proof of identity, as Youniqx Identity, a subsidiary of the Austrian State Printing House (OSD), adds digital identity card compatibility to its e-ID app. Digital IDs join mobile driver’s licenses, registration certificates and proof of age among identity documents that can be stored on the Austrian digital ID wallet app, eAusweise, according to a release from the firm.

The app-housed digital ID will be valid as a virtual identity card throughout the EU as of 2026. Austria will recognize the digital ID immediately, which means it can be used as legal proof of ID for both private use cases and for law enforcement. Government officials say this will speed up vehicle checks, as police will be able to scan app-generated QR codes for quick identity verification.

Commenting on police use of digital ID at the announcement of the integration, Austrian Minister of the Interior Gerhard Karner says “police officers can use an app to verify it, streamlining vehicle checks, making our police force modern, efficient, and ready for the times.”

Helmut Lackner, CEO of OSD, says Younix Identity is dedicated to delivering secure, user-friendly and legally compliant digital ID products for Austrians. The proof of ID, he says, only contains the first name, last name, date of birth and photo of the holder; “this underlines the data-minimized approach, ensuring a user-friendly solution in full accordance with GDPR standards.”

Lackner says the design of the eAusweise wallet was guided by the EU’s new data regulation, noting that the wallet is “already fully ISO/IEC 18013-5 compliant and ready for future integration within the EU eIDAS 2.0 standard.”

Since launching in late 2022, Youniqx Identity’s eAusweise system has activated more than 1.2 million individual digital documents in Austria. According to Smartphone Magazine, 600,000 citizens have activated digital driver’s licenses, more than 400,000 have virtual registration certificates, and the digital age proof has been activated 250,000 times.

Despite its name and founding by royal decree in 1804, parent company Austrian State Printing House has been a private corporation since 2000. Lackner says its goal is to deliver “successful statewide digitization” through the Younix Identity brand.

Tests of the digital ID app by the Austrian publication Heute revealed a few early bugs in the system, with testers reporting that downloading the updated e-ID app was not possible on all smartphones. Nonetheless, the digital ID card integration is off to a cracking start: Digitalization State Secretary Claudia Plakolm reports that 2,500 users have already downloaded the digital ID, which only went online this week.

Article Topics

age verification  |  Austria  |  Austrian State Printing House (OSD)  |  biometrics  |  digital ID  |  digital wallets  |  eAusweise  |  eIDAS  |  ISO 18013-5  |  mDL (mobile driver's license)  |  mobile app  |  YOUNIQX Identity AG