Digital ID Around the World: The Current State by Country

Digital identity is becoming part of everyday life. Governments are introducing mobile credentials that let people prove who they are, access services, sign documents, and share verified personal data without always presenting a physical ID.

Yet there is no single global model. Digital ID systems worldwide vary significantly: some countries offer smartphone credentials that can replace physical IDs in many situations, while others use digital identity mainly for authentication to government and private services. Many are somewhere in between.

As of 2026, national digital ID systems are already operating across Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America.

What counts as a digital ID?

A digital ID is a government-backed digital credential that contains identity information and enables a person to prove their identity or securely authenticate themselves.

A government login isn’t necessarily a digital ID. Neither is a simple digital copy of a physical document.

Modern digital identity is increasingly moving toward wallet-based systems. Instead of presenting an entire document, users can share only the information required for a transaction, for example, confirming they are over 18 without revealing their full date of birth.

The European Union is pushing this model further with the European Digital Identity Wallet. EU Member States are required to provide at least one wallet by the end of 2026, based on common standards designed to make digital credentials interoperable across borders.

Where are digital IDs already available?

Europe is one of the most developed regions. Austria’s ID Austria combines electronic identification with a wallet ecosystem for credentials such as driving licenses. France Identité works alongside the country’s newer national identity card, while Poland’s mObywatel includes mDowód, an electronic identity document accepted instead of a physical ID in many domestic situations.

Greece’s Gov.gr Wallet provides digital national IDs and driving licenses. Czechia offers eDoklady, Portugal has ID.gov.pt, and Spain’s MiDNI brings its national identity card to smartphones.

Outside Europe, approaches are equally diverse.

Singapore’s Singpass combines digital authentication with a Digital IC, QR-based information sharing, transaction authorization, and digital signatures.

India’s Aadhaar has evolved from one of the world’s largest biometric identity programs toward more smartphone-based verification, including QR-based identity sharing and facial authentication.

Brazil’s gov.br combines identity verification, access to thousands of government services, and digital documents. Different assurance levels provide stronger identity verification for higher-risk transactions.

Other systems include Kuwait Mobile ID, UAE Pass, Saudi Arabia’s Absher, Bhutan’s NDI, the Maldives’ eFaas, South Korea’s Mobile ID, Vietnam’s VNeID, Costa Rica’s IDC-Ciudadano, and Bosnia and Herzegovina’s e-IDDEEA.

China also launched its National Online Identity Authentication Public Service in 2025. Rather than primarily acting as a document wallet, it provides a government-issued online identity credential designed for digital authentication.

More countries are on the way

The global map continues to change.

Countries including the UK, Japan, Mexico, Chile, and Thailand are developing or expanding digital identity infrastructure, although their systems vary in maturity and scope.

Europe will be particularly important to watch. The EU Digital Identity Wallet framework aims to make digital credentials usable across Member States for public and private services, including banking, education, employment, travel, and age verification.

The next stage of digital identity, therefore, isn’t simply putting an ID card on a phone. It’s making trusted identity data portable and interoperable.

Why aren’t digital IDs universal yet?

Technology is only part of the challenge.

Governments and businesses need common technical standards, strong cybersecurity, privacy safeguards, reliable identity proofing, and clear rules for issuing and accepting digital credentials.

Interoperability remains another major obstacle. A digital credential may work within one national ecosystem but become unusable when someone crosses a border or interacts with an organization unable to verify it.

Businesses therefore need identity verification technology that supports both emerging digital credentials and traditional documents.

Physical IDs aren’t disappearing

Digital identity is expanding, but physical documents remain essential.

Passports, identity cards, and driving licenses still serve as trusted identity sources and often provide the foundation for creating or activating digital credentials. They also remain necessary where digital infrastructure, legal recognition, device availability, or cross-border interoperability is limited.

The future of identity therefore looks less like a complete shift from physical to digital and more like a hybrid ecosystem.

Organizations will increasingly need to verify people across both worlds—authenticating traditional identity documents while securely validating digital credentials.

As national wallets expand and interoperability improves, digital IDs will become more common. But the fundamental requirement remains unchanged: organizations need to know that an identity, whether physical or digital, is genuine and belongs to the person presenting it.