Attributes in the European Digital Identity Wallet

Why Attributes Matter

In today’s digital identity world, it’s not enough to just confirm who we are. Often, it’s necessary to prove specific characteristics, entitlements, or statuses. Attributes, or Electronic Attestations of Attributes (EAA), allow sharing only the information necessary for a given situation while maintaining full control over personal data.

Thanks to them, the digital identity wallet (EUDI Wallet) becomes a convenient tool for handling everyday matters: verifying age, professional status, driving license, and using public and private e-services. In this article, you will learn the definition of attributes, their categories, management process, applications, challenges, and how IDENTT can support practical implementations.

What Are Attributes and Their Regulatory Context?

Attributes in a digital wallet are defined within the framework of European digital identity law. Key information includes:

• Attribute – a characteristic, property, right, or entitlement of a person or entity.
• Electronic Attestation of Attribute (EAA) – an electronic document confirming the existence of a characteristic or entitlement.
• Person Identification Data (PID) – data enabling unambiguous identification of a person, different from EAA as it does not describe additional qualifications or statuses.
• Types of EAA:
  • PuB-EAA (Public Sector Body Electronic Attestation of Attributes) – standard, issued by public authorities or private providers.
  • QEAA (Qualified EAA) – qualified, certified by a qualified trust service provider, compliant with EU law.

Categories of Attributes in the Digital Wallet

Dividing attributes helps to understand what information can be shared and for what purpose:

• Identity and Biographical – first name, last name, date of birth, nationality, identification number (e.g., national ID, passport). These are often part of PID or closely related to the basic identity profile.
• Socio-Legal Status – residential address, legal status (citizen, resident), marital status, student or retiree status. These may be used to verify eligibility for public services, discounts, or benefits.
• Qualifications and Professional – education, diplomas, certificates, professional licenses, membership in industry organizations. Especially valuable in education, employment, and regulated professions.
• Functional and Operational – digital driving license, online voting rights, insurance data, user service status. These attributes can be dynamic and change over time.
• Contextual and Restricted – minimum age, service access scope, organizational roles, selectively disclosed information. Users can share only what is necessary, e.g., confirm age without revealing exact birth date.

How Attributes Work in Practice

Attributes in the digital wallet go through a lifecycle including issuance, storage, sharing, and update or revocation.

Issuance of Attributes

• Request – the user requests an attribute from an issuer (e.g., government office, educational institution, trusted provider).
• Authentic Source Verification – the issuer refers to authentic sources (databases, registers, official or institutional systems).
• Electronic Attestation – the issuer generates the EAA, signs it electronically (or with a qualified signature for QEAA), and defines the disclosure policy.
• Delivery to Wallet – the attribute is sent to the user’s EUDI Wallet.

Storage and Management

The wallet enables selective disclosure of attributes, minimizing information shared in each transaction. Security mechanisms include strong authentication, access control, cryptography, event logging, and privacy protection.

Sharing / Presentation

The user decides which attributes or parts of attributes to share (e.g., only “over 18”). The wallet generates the presentation with the appropriate EAA and proof of authenticity. The relying party verifies integrity, signatures, and disclosure policies.

Revocation and Update

When the status changes, the attribute can be revoked or updated by the issuer. The relying party can verify EAA validity through revocation or status check mechanisms.

Applications in Daily Life and Business

Attributes in the digital wallet are used across many areas. In the public sector, they facilitate identity verification, access to e-services, qualification confirmation, and electronic signing. In the private sector, they support employee onboarding, KYC and KYB processes, student status verification, car rental, and access to premium services.

Why Attributes Make a Real Difference

• Selective Disclosure (Minimal Disclosure) – users share only necessary data, no excess.
• Better Privacy and Security – reduces attack surface and risk of unnecessary data leaks.
• Interoperability Across Countries and Sectors – attributes in standardized formats (e.g., verifiable credentials) can be recognized by different systems.
• Simplified Administrative and Commercial Processes – less paperwork, fewer manual verification steps.
• Greater User Control Over Data – the wallet becomes a central tool for managing personal attributes.

The digital wallet and EAAs operate in accordance with the eIDAS Regulation, which provides the legal framework for electronic identification and trust services in the EU. It defines security standards, qualified electronic signatures and attestations, and interoperability requirements across member states. This ensures that EUDI Wallet attributes are recognized EU-wide and data is processed securely and lawfully.

Challenges and the Future of Attributes

Implementing attributes in a digital wallet involves challenges. Building a trusted ecosystem of issuers and verifiers is essential to ensure EU-wide interoperability. Data security and privacy require proper cryptography, key protection, and access control.

Users must understand the implications of sharing attributes, what data they disclose, and their rights. Integration with existing administrative and commercial systems also requires organizational effort.

The future of attributes in EUDI Wallet includes developing a trusted digital data ecosystem, integration with self-sovereign identity (SSI) models, and expansion to new types of information such as financial, health, or insurance data, while maintaining high security standards.

Summary

Attributes (EAA) form the foundation of digital identity in the EUDI Wallet. They enable controlled information sharing, enhance privacy and security, and streamline administrative and business processes. Users retain full control over their data, while organizations gain trust and efficiency.

If you want to learn how to implement attributes in practice, build an attribute map for your organization, or explore IDENTT solutions supporting digital identity integration, contact us today. Together, we can create a system where users truly control their digital identity, and you gain a technological advantage and trust in the digital world.