European Union Digital Identity Wallets (EUDI Wallets) will be provided by EU member states to citizens in 2026 to securely store identity documents such as passports and national ID cards, as well as payment methods and biometric profiles.
Amadeus and Lufthansa, both participating partners in the EU Digital Identity Wallet Consortium large-scale pilot project, announced today (September 16) that they have successfully tested the wallet for online and in-person airport check-in scenarios.
Later this year, Amadeus will also test the wallet for digital travel credential use cases, such as airport security and border control.
When checking in remotely, travelers can choose to securely share their biometric profile, stored within the wallet, with an airline online or at airport touchpoints, removing the need for them to take a selfie or scan documents to use biometrics at the airport.
At the airport, instead of presenting physical documents, travelers can tap their phones at check-in desks, self-service kiosks, auto bag-drop machines, lounge entry and boarding gates. In the future, rather than scanning a passport at immigration e-gates, travelers will be able to tap their phones to share credentials securely. The wallet can also be used to securely pay for services online and at key airport touchpoints by accessing a stored payment card.
Amadeus has developed its Travel Ready technology in anticipation of the widespread use of the EUDI Wallet. With Travel Ready, key data resides on the user’s own device rather than third-party services. In addition to its own digital wallet, which can be white-labeled by travel companies and enable them and airports to conduct advanced verification of visas, Travel Ready provides the infrastructure that enables third-party wallets such as the EUDI Wallet to operate with the travel industry. Amadeus said it will continue to work on compatibility and interoperability with all future wallets supporting digital identity.
As part of the EU Digital Identity Wallet Consortium project, thousands of people are already testing the EUDI Wallet for online check-in. In the summer, a smaller group of testers visited Amadeus’s customer showcase room in France, where self-service hardware covering the end-to-end airport experience (check-in, bag drop and boarding) was made available to complete tests of the digital wallet for in-person scenarios.
Feedback from future tests for use cases including biometric enrollment and immigration will fine-tune the EUDI Wallet before full rollout next year.
Read our exclusive feature on IATA for more on digital identity credentials