EUDI Wallet standards, explained through one transaction
OpenID4VCI puts a credential into a wallet. OpenID4VP lets a wallet present credentials to a service. A format describes the credential itself; a profile narrows the choices so implementations can work together. Buying a product that mentions all four is only the start of checking compatibility.
Which layer answers which question?
The European Digital Identity Wallet Architecture and Reference Framework describes the wider ecosystem. It is different from a single protocol specification. Start with your service's role, then identify the versions and profiles your actual integration must support. A general standards label does not establish an Irish production connection or approval.
| Layer | What it describes | Record for your project |
|---|---|---|
| Architecture and rules | Ecosystem responsibilities and requirements | The applicable framework release and implementation requirements |
| Protocol | The messages used to issue or present credentials | Specification, version and supported flow |
| Credential format | How claims and proofs are represented | The exact format and supported features |
| Interoperability profile | A constrained combination of choices | Profile version and any additional ecosystem constraints |
| Trust and acceptance | Which evidence your service will accept | Accepted issuers, credential types and verification policy |
Keep these fields separate in the supplier response. If a sales answer says only “EUDI compatible”, ask the technical owner to fill them in. The useful output is a reproducible configuration, with unsupported features visible before the project commits to a launch date.
A version checklist, checked 23 September 2026
| Specification | Published status | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| OpenID4VCI 1.0 | Final, 16 September 2025 | Credential issuance |
| OpenID4VP 1.0 | Final, 9 July 2025 | Credential requests and presentations |
| HAIP 1.0 | Final, 24 December 2025 | Profile combining OpenID credential protocols with SD-JWT VC and ISO mdoc choices |
A final protocol does not make every related format, library or deployment interchangeable. Record the edition or revision of each dependency, including any draft referenced by the chosen profile. Keep a dated copy of the supplier's compatibility statement. Recheck it when a wallet, SDK or verifier changes rather than treating the original procurement answer as permanent.
Issuance and presentation are separate journeys
Issuance: issuer → credential → holder's wallet.
Presentation: service requests evidence → holder responds through the wallet → verifier checks the presentation → service makes its decision.
OpenID4VCI defines an issuance API. OpenID4VP defines how credentials are requested and presented, including same-device and cross-device flows. A service accepting evidence may need a verifier integration without issuing credentials itself. Our gateway and verifier guide explains that buying decision; the credential guide explains the different kinds of evidence.
Worked example: checking a qualification
Imagine an organisation wants applicants to demonstrate a professional qualification. This is an illustrative design exercise, not a claim that Ireland's wallet currently offers that credential. The team first names the accepted qualification and issuing bodies. A valid signature from an unrelated issuer would not answer the organisation's question.
- Availability: confirm that an accepted issuer can supply the credential to the intended wallet.
- Request: specify the qualification information needed for this transaction. Do not request an address merely because it is available.
- Presentation: test how the holder receives the request, recognises the service and returns to the application.
- Verification: record which checks establish that this is acceptable evidence for this request.
- Decision: apply the organisation's own eligibility policy and provide a route for unsupported or disputed cases.
Suppose the issuer and wallet can exchange the credential, but the verifier cannot process that format. Issuance has succeeded; the service journey has not. Suppose the verifier accepts the presentation, but the qualification is outside the accepted category. Technical verification may succeed while eligibility fails. Reporting both outcomes as “wallet failure” would hide the work needed.
What an interoperability test should leave behind
Use a test record with the wallet, issuer and verifier versions; credential format; profile; device and browser; requested information; expected result; observed result; and remaining dependency. Test the same-phone journey as well as a desktop-to-phone journey. Include cancellation, expiry and unsupported evidence, with an understandable next step for each.
A conformance result is evidence about its stated scope. Your team still needs to establish that the offered components work together in the intended configuration. Ask for the report or certification entry, its date and scope, then run your own agreed acceptance scenarios. Avoid turning a protocol badge into a claim about every customer journey.
The final handover should let another team repeat the test without guessing. Use the wallet demonstration checklist to organise a supplier session and the readiness guide to connect the technical findings to a business decision.
Reviewed 23 September 2026. Worked examples and worksheets are MyID editorial guidance. Check the linked primary material and your service requirements before making a consequential decision.
In this topic: EUDI Wallet readiness
What should an Irish relying party prepare now?
View all 12 pages in this topic
- EU country tracker
- Country evidence methodology
- Wallet gateways and verifiers
- Irish wallet demo checklist
- Readiness for Irish organisations
- Issuer, wallet and relying-party roles
- Relying-party registration
- PID, EAA and QEAA credentials
- Protocols and formats
- Credential verification flow
- Conformance and certification
- Verifier UX and fallback
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