As the
@EUdigitalID takes shape, it helps to understand that not all digital documents are the same. 🔐
The main difference comes down to who issues the document and what level of assurance and legal effect it carries. In the EUDI Wallet ecosystem, the key document types are EAA, QEAA, and Pub-EAA. Alongside these, the wallet also contains PID (Person Identification Data), which is used to establish identity itself rather than to attest specific attributes.
EAA stands for "Electronic Attestation of Attributes". These can be issued by a wide range of private sector entities and are suitable for lower-assurance use cases, such as membership cards, tickets, or other everyday digital proofs. They can still serve as evidence, but they do not carry the same legal effect as a paper document.
QEAA stands for "Qualified Electronic Attestation of Attributes". These are issued by trust service providers that meet additional regulatory and compliance requirements. Typical examples include diplomas and mobile driving licences. A QEAA has the same legal effect as a paper attestation, which gives it the highest level of assurance and strong cross-border trust.
Pub-EAA refers to an "Electronic Attestation of Attributes issued by or on behalf of a public sector body", based on authentic public sources. These credentials are tied to official government records, such as proof of residence or other state-backed attestations. Like QEAAs, they have the same legal effect as lawfully issued paper attestations. 🏛️
A simple way to think about it:
- EAA = useful digital proof, lower assurance
- QEAA = qualified proof, highest assurance
- Pub-EAA = official public-source proof, high assurance tied to government records
The real opportunity with the EUDI Wallet is not just to digitise documents, but to make their trust level explicit, portable, and interoperable across Europe. It is about creating a trust framework where each credential carries the right level of assurance for the right use case.