The first Dutch ID wallet should be ready next year. State Secretary for Digitization Alexandra van Huffelen told Parliament that the Dutch people will be able to identify themselves with digital proof, in the form of a smartphone app.

The open-source software is under development, Computable reported. The Netherlands is opting for a Dutch app, instead of the EU-wide app announced by the EU Commission in 2021. The Commission wants to achieve a European Digital Identity by around 2025, but there is still discussion about whether there should be a single European citizen service number.

Tarifica’s Take

The European Union has been working towards a standardized digital ID since 2014. In 2021, the EU announced plans to introduce a digital ID wallet for all member countries, accessible via smartphone app.

Of course, this transition is easier said than done. The EU has been facing an uphill battle to get member countries to adopt standardized formats that can be used and accepted by any entity in the EU. And now, the Dutch have apparently decided to develop their own app independently.

This is yet another example of how central the smartphone is becoming to daily life. The percentage of internet traffic coming from mobile devices has increased steadily over the last five years, and as of May of this year, mobile devices accounted for close to 60% of global internet traffic.

While it remains unclear whether other EU countries will follow the Netherlands’ example and create their own app, one thing is more easily predictable: the smartphone will very likely become the platform upon which our digital identify is built.