Finland's police force announced on October 22 that it has made significant progress preparing for the deployment of a digital identity credential scheduled for 2027. The credential will operate via a wallet platform built by the Digital and Population Data Services Agency (DVV). The announcement came three weeks after domestic legislation authorising the digital wallet and identity credential took effect.
At the time of the legislation's entry into force, Local and Regional Government Minister Anna-Kaisa Ikonen stated that "the digital wallet would make access to services across the European Union (EU) easier." The police force is now in the final stages of establishing operating procedures and technical infrastructure for the digital credential, which will be delivered through the European Digital Identity (EUDI) Wallet framework.
Finland commenced development of its digital wallet in 2024, with an original target of finishing the work by the end of that year. The digital ID will be issued to holders of valid Finnish passports or national identification cards, with police responsible for creating and maintaining the verification procedures and technical systems required to authenticate the credential.
The Transport and Communications Agency (Traficom) will take on the role of overseeing wallet providers and electronic trust services by establishing and maintaining a catalogue of services compatible with digital wallets. The wallet itself has been engineered to enable users to authenticate themselves electronically, execute digital signatures, and present verified digital certificates. It incorporates privacy protections allowing individuals to demonstrate attributes—such as being over 18—without disclosing sensitive personal information like their complete date of birth or full name.
Finland's efforts align with broader European compliance with the updated eIDAS 2.0 regulation, which mandates the EUDI Wallet across the bloc. All EU member states must provide at least one wallet option by December 24. Nevertheless, member states remain at varying levels of preparedness, with ongoing work required on technical specifications and approval mechanisms. Finland's planned 2027 rollout extends beyond the EU-wide deadline.
