OpenID Foundation launching self-certification program for 3 specs in Feb 2026

The OpenID Foundation will soon release conformance testing for three final identity specifications, in what a release calls “a defining moment for global digital identity systems worldwide.” Starting in February 2026, self-certification will be available for OpenID for Verifiable Presentations, OpenID for Verifiable Credential Issuance, and the High Assurance Interoperability Profile (HAIP) specifications.

These test suites give any organization developing digital credential issuance, digital wallets and verification systems a way to validate their products against security and interoperability requirements. Per the release, implementers will submit self-certified logs with successful submissions published by OpenID Foundation on openid.net. The goal is “ecosystem wide transparency” on compliance.

“This is what the entire industry has been working towards for years,” says Gail Hodges, executive director of the OpenID Foundation. “With stable standards and conformance testing launching in February 2026, we finally have the foundations for digital identity ecosystems and their conformance programs to flourish at production scale.”

Regulatory shifts favor OpenID open source standards, testing

The forthcoming specifications speak to regulatory changes happening around the globe, as nations navigate digital transformation and wrestle with the questions of national digital identity and cross-border interoperability – including the 2026 deadline for EU member states to offer citizens a digital identity wallet under the eIDAS 2.0 framework.

To support this specifically, OID has published a dedicated resource to help European Digital Identity Wallet (EUDIW) participants easily find compliance tools.

But the movement is global. More than 38 jurisdictions are already implementing the OpenID specifications, including the EU, the UK Government, the Swiss Confederation, the Western Balkans, and Japan’s Digital Agency. The Foundation says California’s DMV and NIST National Cybersecurity Center of Excellence (NCCoE) have also “committed to OpenID specifications for their digital credential infrastructure.”

In providing free, open source tests and conformance tooling options, the OID Foundation hopes to empower developers, promote uniformity in conformance testing, and generate a base of knowledge for the wider ecosystem.

Early tests of the system by the the Digital Credentials Protocol Working Group showed a 98 percent passing rate for OpenID4VP 1.0 combined with HAIP 1.0 and the Digital Credentials API across 44 wallet/verifier pairs; and an 82 percent passing rate for OpenID4VCI testing across 22 issuer-wallet pairs. Participants included Mattr, Bundesdruckerei GmbH, Google Wallet, Panasonic Connect, MyMahi and Meeco.

Self-certifications under the new specifications can be reviewed by an independent third-party, “at transparent, non-profit pricing.” The OpenID Foundation will launch accreditation services to follow the testing suites in mid-2026.

Article Topics

biometric testing  |  digital ID  |  digital wallets  |  interoperability  |  OID4VCI  |  OID4VP  |  open source  |  OpenID Foundation  |  standards