🇷🇴EUDI Wallet Romania: What We Know So Far

What We Know About Romania's EUDI Wallet

Romania, with a population of 19 million, is preparing to implement the European Digital Identity Wallet as required by the eIDAS 2.0 regulation. While specific details about Romania's EUDI Wallet implementation have not been officially announced, several facts are clear based on EU law and Romania's existing digital infrastructure.

Legal Requirement (🟢 Verified)

Under the eIDAS 2.0 regulation (EU) 2024/1183, which entered into force in May 2024, all 27 EU member states must provide a European Digital Identity Wallet to their citizens by December 31, 2026. This is a binding legal requirement, not optional. Romania must comply with this deadline.

Existing Authentication System (🟢 Verified)

Romania currently operates eID card, a national digital authentication system that enables citizens to access government services electronically. eID card provides secure login for tax filing, social security, healthcare, and other public services. The EUDI Wallet will likely build upon or integrate with this existing eID card infrastructure, using years of established digital identity experience.

Regulatory Deadline (🟡 Confirmed by Regulation)

The December 31, 2026 deadline is set by EU law. Romania must provide a wallet that meets the technical specifications defined in the Architecture and Reference Framework (ARF) version 2.7.3, which standardizes functionality across all EU member states.

What Is Not Yet Known

We believe in being honest about what information is not yet available. The following details have not been officially announced by Romania authorities:

Official Wallet Name (⚠️ Not Yet Announced)

Romania has not announced the official name for its EUDI Wallet. While "EUDI Wallet România" is a logical name, this is speculation, not official confirmation. The wallet may integrate directly into the existing eID card system or be branded separately.

Exact Launch Date (⚠️ Not Yet Announced)

Beyond the December 2026 regulatory deadline, Romania has not provided a specific launch date, pilot schedule, or rollout timeline. Some countries announce phased launches (pilot first, then gradual rollout), while others plan immediate availability—Romania's approach remains unclear.

Setup Process (⚠️ Not Yet Announced)

The activation process—how Romania citizens will set up their digital wallet—has not been disclosed. It will likely require existing government-issued credentials (ID card, passport, or eID card account), but the specific steps are unknown.

Expected Functionality Based on EU Standards

Even without Romania-specific announcements, we know what functionality Romania's EUDI Wallet must provide, because all EU member states must comply with the same technical specifications (ARF 2.7.3):

Core Features (🟢 Verified from ARF Specifications)

• Identity Verification: Store and present digital identity for government services, banking, and age verification
• Banking KYC: From January 1, 2027, all banks and financial institutions must accept EUDI Wallet for customer identification (mandatory)
• Government Services: Access tax filing, healthcare, social security, business permits, and other public services
• Age Verification: Prove age for restricted purchases without revealing full birth date
• Cross-Border Recognition: Romania digital credentials recognized in all 27 EU member states
• Qualified Signatures: Sign legally binding documents digitally with the same legal force as handwritten signatures

What Should Romania Citizens Do Now?

While waiting for official announcements, Romania citizens can take the following steps:

1. Ensure you have a valid Romania ID card or passport — these will likely be required to activate the digital wallet
2. Familiarize yourself with eID card — Romania's existing digital authentication system may be integrated with the EUDI Wallet
3. Monitor official sources — Check www.gov.ro for government announcements
4. Don't worry about missing the deadline — The wallet is optional; you can continue using physical documents

Romania's Digital Identity Gap: The Largest EU Country Without Mature eID

Romania, with a population of approximately 19 million, holds the distinction of being the largest EU member state that has not yet achieved widespread adoption of a digital identity system. While smaller countries like Estonia (1.4 million people) have had fully digital government services for over a decade, Romania's digital infrastructure has developed more slowly. According to the European Commission's DESI (Digital Economy and Society Index), Romania has historically ranked last or near-last among EU countries in digitization of public services.

This context makes the EUDI Wallet particularly transformative for Romania. Rather than incrementally improving an existing system, the EUDI Wallet represents an opportunity to leapfrog directly to a state-of-the-art digital identity framework. Romanian citizens who have never used a national eID system before will gain access to a wallet that works not only domestically but across all 27 EU member states -- a significant jump in capability.

Ghișeul.ro and Romania's E-Government System

Ghișeul.ro is Romania's primary e-government payment portal, operated by the Authority for the Digitalization of Romania (ADR). The platform allows citizens and businesses to pay taxes, fines, utility charges, and other government fees electronically. While Ghișeul.ro does not provide the kind of identity authentication that the EUDI Wallet will offer, it represents the most widely used digital touchpoint between Romanian citizens and their government.

Beyond Ghișeul.ro, Romania has been building out additional digital services: ANAF's Spațiul Privat Virtual (Virtual Private Space) for tax management, the REGES hospital management system for healthcare, and the National Electronic System for Online Payments (SNEP). Each of these platforms currently uses its own authentication method. The EUDI Wallet offers a unifying solution -- a single digital identity credential that could replace the fragmented login systems currently in use across Romanian government services.

PNRR: Romania's 1.2 Billion EUR Digital Investment

Romania's Planul Național de Redresare și Reziliență (PNRR) -- the National Recovery and Resilience Plan -- is the country's most ambitious digital transformation initiative to date. The plan allocates approximately 1.2 billion EUR to digital transformation objectives, funded through the EU's Recovery and Resilience Facility. Key investments relevant to the EUDI Wallet include the Government Cloud (cloud guvernamental), the interoperability platform connecting government registers, and the national cybersecurity operations center.

A critical component of the PNRR is the digitization of Romania's civil registers and back-office systems. For the EUDI Wallet to function effectively, government agencies must be able to issue verifiable attestations -- digital proofs of address, tax status, social security contributions, educational qualifications, and more. Romania's fragmented and sometimes paper-based registry systems have been a bottleneck. The PNRR investments aim to create interconnected, digital-first government databases that can serve as data sources for EUDI Wallet attestations.

New Biometric ID Cards (RoID) and Chip Infrastructure

Romania began issuing new biometric identity cards in 2021, complying with EU Regulation 2019/1157 which requires all EU member states to issue ID cards with embedded chips containing biometric data. These new Romanian cards -- sometimes referred to as RoID cards in technical documentation -- include a contactless chip storing the holder's facial image and fingerprints, along with cryptographic capabilities for electronic authentication and digital signatures.

The transition to chip-enabled cards is still ongoing. Romania issues identity cards through the local Directorate for Persons Records (Direcția de Evidență a Persoanelor / DEP), and citizens receive new biometric cards when their current cards expire or upon application for a replacement. This gradual rollout means that not all 19 million Romanian citizens will have chip-enabled cards by the time the EUDI Wallet launches. The government may need to offer alternative enrollment paths -- perhaps through consular offices for the diaspora or through mobile enrollment units for rural areas -- to ensure broad access to the wallet.

Romania's Diaspora Challenge: 4-5 Million Citizens Abroad

Romania faces a unique challenge among EU member states: an estimated 4 to 5 million Romanian citizens live and work abroad, primarily in Italy, Spain, Germany, France, and the United Kingdom. This diaspora represents roughly 20-25% of Romania's total citizen population, making it one of the largest emigrant communities in Europe relative to country size.

The EUDI Wallet has particular significance for this community. Currently, Romanian citizens abroad often struggle to access government services remotely. Renewing an ID card, obtaining a criminal record certificate (cazier judiciar), or registering a civil status event typically requires an in-person visit to a Romanian consulate, often involving long wait times and limited appointment availability. The EUDI Wallet could dramatically simplify these interactions by enabling secure digital identity verification from anywhere in the EU, reducing the need for consular visits.

However, the initial activation of the EUDI Wallet may still require in-person identity verification, which could mean a consulate visit for diaspora citizens. How Romania handles this challenge -- whether it allows remote activation using existing biometric ID cards, partners with other EU countries' identity systems, or expands consular enrollment capacity -- will be a key factor in the wallet's success.

Reassurance: All EU Countries Must Comply

If you're concerned about whether Romania will deliver an EUDI Wallet, remember this: the December 2026 deadline applies equally to all 27 EU member states. Romania is legally obligated to provide a wallet, just like every other country. The lack of public announcements does not indicate Romania won't comply—many countries are developing wallets without extensive public communication until closer to launch.