Digital Identity and Mobile Signature Tracker — Where Countries Stand on Phone-Based ID and Signing

The status in one sentence (last verified 14 October 2026)

The world is putting an identity layer in front of the signature. Enrolment is now one-off and remote: read the ID chip with the phone (NFC), pass a liveness check, match against the official register photo. The signing key sits either in the phone's secure hardware or in the provider's cloud; the physical token is disappearing. Legal equivalence to a handwritten signature, however, still comes only from that country's qualified signature, and it stops at the border: without an agreement, a third-country signature drops to "advanced" abroad. Türkiye is legally close to this picture; what is missing is a single national wallet.

What this page tracks

Five fixed questions per country: (1) is there a national digital ID or wallet, (2) what is the legal level of a signature made from the phone (qualified / advanced / simple), (3) how is enrolment done (remote NFC + liveness, video, in person), (4) is there cross-border recognition, (5) what is the next official date. Source marks: ● primary (legislation, official body) · ○ secondary (press, vendor, tracker). Rows marked ○ are re-checked before each update; figures we cannot verify are not written.

Status by country

Europe

• EU (overall) — ID tool: EUDI Wallet — every Member State must provide at least one · Signature level: Wallet must be able to create QES; free for non-professional use · Enrolment: Identity proofing at assurance level high required (2024/2977 Art. 3(7)) · Cross-border: Mutual within EU; agreement needed for third countries (Art. 14) · Status: Behind schedule · Member States 24 Dec 2026; private-sector acceptance 24 Dec 2027 · Source: ● 2024/1183 · ● 2024/2977

• Italy — ID tool: IT-Wallet (inside the IO app); driving licence, health card, disability card · Signature level: Qualified signature via separate providers (SPID/CIE based); not yet in the wallet · Enrolment: Via CIE/SPID · Cross-border: Path to EU wallet · Status: Live (4 Dec 2024) · 10m+ activations; 200+ credentials planned for 2027 · Source: ● innovazione.gov.it · ○ figures

• Denmark — ID tool: AltID (alongside MitID) · Signature level: — (to be assessed separately) · Enrolment: Via MitID identity · Cross-border: EU · Status: Live (3 Jun 2026) · Source: ○ eID Easy

• France — ID tool: France Identité (CNIe chip card) · Signature level: Qualified signature via separate providers · Enrolment: NFC chip card + face · Cross-border: EU; eIDAS-notified · Status: Live (2024) · Source: ○ igrant tracker

• Germany — ID tool: State wallet (BMDS/SPRIND); first release: ID, driving licence, social security card · Signature level: ID function first; QES later · Enrolment: eID (nPA) based · Cross-border: EU · Status: Planned · Digital Identities Act (DIdG, 21/7408): first reading 23 Sep 2026, committee hearing 6 Oct 2026, final vote 15 Oct 2026; government bill says “from January 2027”, SPRIND gave 2 Jan 2027 as the start at the hearing (after the EU deadline of 24 Dec 2026); first release staged, private wallets ~12 months later; name "d-you" secondary · Source: ● Bundestag · ● eudi-wallet.gov.de · ○ name

• Estonia — ID tool: ID card, Mobile-ID (SIM), Smart-ID (app, remote QES) · Signature level: QES (Smart-ID and Mobile-ID) · Enrolment: Physical ID + PIN; Smart-ID remote · Cross-border: EU (ID card notified) · Status: Live; EUDI wallet procurement May 2026 (bids due 29 Jun 2026) · Source: ● RIA

• Switzerland — ID tool: swiyu wallet, state e-ID (voluntary, free) · Signature level: QES separate (ZertES); fully online enrolment allowed since 2022 · Enrolment: Scan ID → in-app video (liveness) → match with register photo · Cross-border: No mutual recognition with EU · Status: Postponed · referendum 28 Sep 2025 (50.39%); no new e-ID date announced (30 Jun 2026, AI-related security grounds), trust infrastructure H1 2027; FINMA Circular 2016/7 (8 Oct 2026, in force 1 Nov 2026): liveness detection for online identification, e-ID usable for AML identification, QR-code documents (driving licence) equal to MRZ documents, digital residence verification; biometric ID card 2 Nov 2026 · Source: ● eid.admin.ch · ● fedpol · ● FINMA

• United Kingdom — ID tool: GOV.UK One Login + GOV.UK Wallet (veteran card, digital driving licence); mandatory national ID programme cancelled · Signature level: Electronic signature form-free (UK eIDAS); QES use limited · Enrolment: Document + face (OfDIA trust framework) · Cross-border: Outside EU wallet · Status: National ID cancelled (21 Jul 2026); wallet continues · Source: ○ Commons Library · ○ government response

• Ukraine — ID tool: Diia (documents + Diia.Signature) · Signature level: Qualified under Ukrainian law; advanced (AdES) in the EU · Enrolment: Diia account (bank/ID verification) · Cross-border: Full mutual recognition with Latvia (from 2026); no EU-wide agreement · Status: Live · Source: ○ eID Easy · ○ digitalstate.gov.ua

Türkiye and the Turkic states

• Türkiye — ID tool: e-Devlet (NFC chip-card login); no national wallet announced · Signature level: Mobile signature (NES on SIM) is qualified; remote loading of NES onto the ID card legally possible since 2021 · Enrolment: Regulation: e-Devlet, ICAO 9303 NFC document + video verification by AI or officer; MASAK requires liveness · Cross-border: Not on EU Trusted List; OTS DEPA mutual-recognition goal · Status: Infrastructure yes, wallet no · live status of remote NES per provider pending confirmation · Source: ● Law 5070 + 2021 amendment · ● OG 26.06.2021

• Azerbaijan — ID tool: SİMA İmza (integrated with ASAN Login) · Signature level: "Advanced" in law, equivalent to handwritten; certificate free · Enrolment: Scan ID → facial biometrics → PIN (fully remote) · Cross-border: OTS DEPA · Status: Live (2022) · 100+ institutions; 98% of employment contracts signed via SİMA · Source: ● mincom.gov.az · ○ WSIS 2026

• Kazakhstan — ID tool: eGov Mobile (39 digital documents, QR sharing) · Signature level: EDS (qualified); cloud signing planned · Enrolment: Fully online since 11 Aug 2025: camera face check; 92% of 2025 keys issued remotely · Cross-border: OTS DEPA (ratification pending) · Status: Live · cloud EDS go-live not confirmed · Source: ● egov.kz · ● oq.gov.kz

• Uzbekistan — ID tool: my.gov.uz + MyID + E-IMZO; digital copies of documents legally valid since 1 Jul 2025 · Signature level: ERI (qualified equivalent; Law ZRU-793) · Enrolment: From 1 Feb 2026 a free ERI is written to the chip of first-issue ID cards · Cross-border: OTS DEPA · Status: Live, fragmented (several apps) · Source: ○ kun.uz · ● dgov.uz

Gulf and Middle East

• UAE — ID tool: UAE PASS (ID + document vault + signature) · Signature level: Fully verified account: qualified; via Smart Pass/Dubai ID: advanced · Enrolment: Emirates ID + face; PIN/biometrics to sign · Cross-border: — · Status: Live · 12.5m users, 12m signed documents (TDRA) · Source: ● UAE PASS docs · ● TDRA

• Saudi Arabia — ID tool: Nafath (national login) + Absher · Signature level: Through licensed trust service providers (e.g. emdha); pick number + PIN in Nafath · Enrolment: Absher digital ID + biometrics · Cross-border: — · Status: Live · Absher 240m transactions in H1 2026 · Source: ○ Zoho/emdha flow · ○ Absher

• Qatar — ID tool: Tawtheeq (2019) + Qatar Digital ID (Ministry of Interior) · Signature level: In-app signature bound to the person by facial recognition · Enrolment: QID + face · Cross-border: — · Status: Live · date pending confirmation · Source: ○ MobileIDWorld

• Oman — ID tool: Theqa (MTCIT) — mobile ID + digital signature · Signature level: In-app signature (level not stated publicly) · Enrolment: Civil ID NFC + face · Cross-border: — · Status: Live (COMEX, Sep 2025); ROP accepts mobile ID as official · Source: ○ App Store/MTCIT · ○ ROP

• Bahrain — ID tool: eKey 2.0 (iGA) · Signature level: Authentication and authorisation; signature feature not confirmed · Enrolment: Facial recognition, password-less login · Cross-border: — · Status: Live (10 Feb 2025) · banks and Binance integrated · Source: ● iga.gov.bh

Asia-Pacific and the Americas

• India — ID tool: Aadhaar + DigiLocker + new Aadhaar app · Signature level: eSign: OTP class and biometric class (licensed CAs) · Enrolment: Aadhaar eKYC; Sep 2026: UIDAI Face Authentication SDK + sandbox (liveness, anti-spoofing) · Cross-border: — · Status: Live, largest scale worldwide · DigiLocker 434.9m users (Dec 2024) · Source: ● PIB · ○ figures

• Singapore — ID tool: Singpass + Sign with Singpass · Signature level: Secure electronic signature (Electronic Transactions Act 2010), national CA certificate on the phone · Enrolment: Scan QR → match code → face/fingerprint/PIN · Cross-border: — · Status: Live · Source: ● developer.tech.gov.sg

• Japan — ID tool: My Number Card on iPhone (Apple Wallet) · Signature level: Electronic certificate presentation; general document signing not yet · Enrolment: Physical card → phone; Face ID · Cross-border: EU–Japan wallet interoperability pilot (report 16 Jul 2026): EUDI and My Number credentials issued, presented and verified cross-border; legal mutual recognition still needs agreements and liability rules · Status: Live, limited (24 Jun 2025) · Source: ● digital.go.jp · ● Digital Agency pilot report

• South Korea — ID tool: Mobile resident registration card (same validity as physical) · Signature level: Separate (joint certificate system) · Enrolment: Physical card NFC + biometrics · Cross-border: — · Status: Live (Mar 2025) · 15 banks integrated · Source: ○ MobileIDWorld

• China — ID tool: National Network Identity ("cyber ID", voluntary) · Signature level: Authentication; signature separate · Enrolment: Document + face scan · Cross-border: — · Status: Live (15 Jul 2025) · strong privacy criticism · Source: ○ TechNode

• Australia — ID tool: myID / AGDIS (Digital ID Act 2024) · Signature level: Identity; signature separate · Enrolment: Document + biometrics (accreditation required) · Cross-border: — · Status: Partial · private-sector applications open 30 Nov 2026; 2026–27 budget AUD 654.3m · Source: ○ Allens

• Brazil — ID tool: gov.br account (silver/gold level) · Signature level: Advanced signature free (not ICP-Brasil qualified) · Enrolment: Level upgrade via bank/biometrics · Cross-border: — · Status: Live · 143m uses in H1 2026 · Source: ○ Tecnoblog

Cross-border: where does the signature stop?

• Within the EU: QES is equivalent to a handwritten signature in every Member State (eIDAS Art. 25). From 2027 the wallet must be accepted by banks, transport, energy and very large platforms.

• From outside the EU: Türkiye, Switzerland, Ukraine — none of their qualified signatures is automatically qualified in the EU. The Ukraine–Latvia bilateral recognition is the first concrete example that this is a matter of agreement.

• Identity-proofing standard: In the EU, identity verification before a qualified certificate follows ETSI TS 119 461 from 19 August 2027 (2025/1566); management of remote signature devices is standardised from the same date (2025/1567). In Switzerland FINMA requires liveness detection from 1 November 2026. In Türkiye MASAK already does.

• Travel documents: ICAO DTC Type 1 (a credential derived on the phone from the passport chip) is implementable and was trialled at Schiphol; FALP/14 (April 2026) proposed the standards to bring DTCs into Annex 9. The physical passport is still required.

What we are watching

• How many Member States will have a certified wallet on 24 December 2026 (the Commission's own estimate: few).

• Germany: the 15 October 2026 Bundestag vote (DIdG) and the Bundesrat timetable; whether the 2 January 2027 start holds.

• A concrete mutual-recognition step between the EU and Japan after the pilot.

• Switzerland's H1 2027 e-ID date and the effect of FINMA's liveness requirement on the QES route.

• The actual, provider-level status of remote NES loading onto the Turkish ID card; any national wallet signal.

• Kazakhstan's cloud EDS and the entry into force of the OTS DEPA.

• Ukraine–EU mutual recognition talks (a precedent for Türkiye).

• Verifiable-credential support in India's new Aadhaar app.

Method and updates

Re-verified monthly; every date and figure in a row is tied to its source. Rows marked ○ rely on secondary sources and are replaced when a primary source is found. If an official date slips, the row is updated and the old date is kept with a change note. This page is not legal advice. Maintained by Gökçen Özkan — Master Mariner, Flag State Surveyor, Founder & CEO, Maresign. Corrections: digital@maresign.com

Related analysis: What is eIDAS 2.0? · Is a Turkish e-signature valid in Europe? · Remote identity verification in Türkiye