Independent guide · English and German
Your identity online, explained for Europe.
The EU Digital Identity Wallet, your country's eID, passkeys and the tools that keep your accounts safe. Plain explanations, honest comparisons, no scare copy.
Sections
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15 pages
Digital identity in Europe
eIDAS 2.0, the EU Digital Identity Wallet, levels of assurance and qualified signatures, explained without the legal fog. What changes for citizens and for businesses.
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33 pages
Digital ID by country
How online identification works in every EU and EEA country, Switzerland, the UK and Turkey: the national eID, the wallet status, and how to get it.
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20 pages
Passkeys and login security
Passkeys, two-factor authentication, hardware keys and account recovery, explained step by step. How to make your accounts hard to take over without making them hard to use.
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25 pages
Reviews and comparisons
Independent comparisons of password managers, hardware security keys and authenticator apps, with a close look at where your data is stored and which providers are European.
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15 pages
Identity standards explained
OpenID Connect, OAuth 2.0, SAML, FIDO2/WebAuthn, OpenID4VP and verifiable credentials explained in plain language, with what each one is actually for.
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25 pages
History of open identity
From OpenID 1.0 and the European OpenID community of 2007 to OpenID Connect and the EU wallet: how the idea of a portable, user-controlled login developed.
Where most readers start
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EU Digital Identity Wallet (EUDI Wallet) explained
What the EU Digital Identity Wallet is, what you can store in it, how it works technically and where it stands in October 2026. Free and voluntary.
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Passkeys explained: how passwordless login works
Passkeys replace passwords with a key on your device. Learn how they work, where they are stored, what happens if you lose a phone and who supports them.
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Best password managers 2026: compared for European users
Seven password managers compared on encryption, audits, passkeys, EU data options, recovery, export and price, with advice on which one fits whom.
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Digital ID in Germany: eID card, AusweisApp and wallet
How to prove who you are online in Germany: the eID function of the ID card, AusweisApp, PIN reset letter, Smart-eID and the German EU wallet due in January 2027.
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Best hardware security keys 2026: YubiKey, Nitrokey, Token2
The best hardware security keys of 2026 compared: YubiKey 5, Security Key Series, Nitrokey 3, Token2 and Google Titan on passkeys, NFC, firmware and price.
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OpenID Connect explained: login on top of OAuth 2.0
OpenID Connect (OIDC) lets an app verify who you are via a provider like Google. Learn the flow, the ID token, the risks and OIDC's place beside the EU wallet.
Digital ID, country by country
One regulation, more than thirty national systems. Pick a country for its eID, the state of the EU wallet and how to get started.
- Austria
- Belgium
- Bulgaria
- Croatia
- Cyprus
- Czech Republic
- Denmark
- Estonia
- Finland
- France
- Germany
- Greece
- Hungary
- Iceland
- Ireland
- Italy
- Latvia
- Liechtenstein
- Lithuania
- Luxembourg
- Malta
- Netherlands
- Norway
- Poland
- Portugal
- Romania
- Slovakia
- Slovenia
- Spain
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- Turkey
- United Kingdom
Your eID matters for banking too: if you plan to open a new account with your online ID, you can first compare current accounts with secure login (in German) and check for passkeys or app-based approval.
Tools and providers
This is where we list tools and providers we have tested ourselves. Nothing goes here before the test is done.
Partner links are marked as such.
Since 2007
This address has a history
In 2007 and 2008 openideurope.eu was the meeting point of a European community that wanted a single, user-controlled login for the web. We are not that organisation. We tell its story, and follow the idea to where it has arrived: the EU wallet.
Read the history-
What happened to openideurope.eu: from OpenID to today
openideurope.eu was an OpenID community site from 2007, then parked, reused for a shop and re-registered in 2026. Who runs it now and what happened to old URLs.
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From OpenID to the EU wallet: the road to user-controlled ID
OpenID promised to put users in charge of their identity in 2005. The EU Digital Identity Wallet is the state-backed attempt, built on OpenID4VP and OpenID4VCI.
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OpenID timeline 2005–2026: from login URL to EU wallet
A dated timeline of OpenID from its 2005 start through the 2007 to 2009 European community years to OpenID Connect, passkeys and the EU Digital Identity Wallet.
Auf Deutsch
Alle Ratgeber, Länderseiten und Vergleiche gibt es auch auf Deutsch, mit Online-Ausweis, ID Austria und Schweizer E-ID.
Zum deutschen BereichRecommended
Further reading from partners
Digital security does not stop at the login: if you are planning cameras, alarm systems or access control, you can understand and choose security technology (in German) before you buy.