Starmer’s ID plan has caused upset, but in the EU the debate has long been settled

On the continent, the debate currently raging in the UK over national ID cards has long been settled. Across Europe, physical identity cards have existed for decades, and digital versions have either already been successfully launched or are being trialled.

In all bar two of the EU’s 27 member states, physical ID cards, in a standard, machine-readable EU format introduced in 2021, serve both as identity documents in citizens’ home countries, and for travel within the passport-free Schengen zone.

In 15 countries they are compulsory: you must have one, although you are not necessarily obliged to have it with you. In another 11, they are voluntary: other forms of photo ID, such as driving licences, are accepted as identification.

The size of a credit card, they display the holder’s name, address, nationality, date and place of birth, sex and height, as well as a photo and the card’s issue and expiry dates. A secure chip also stores data including the photo and fingerprints.

The two exceptions are Denmark, which issues physical ID cards locally, and Ireland – but along with all other EU member states, both those countries have already either launched, or are developing, a form of digital ID wallet.

The EU’s eIDAS 2.0 regulation will require every citizen of the bloc to be offered at least one digital ID wallet, allowing them to prove who they are and to safely store, share and sign important digital documents – such as their digital ID, birth certificate, passport, student card, qualifications, driver’s licence and tax details – by 2026.

Some countries have gone further, faster. In Denmark, life online is almost impossible without MitID, a digital identity app for smartphones or tablets introduced in 2023 as a public-private partnership between banks, insurers and the digitisation ministry.

You need it log into banking websites, sign up for the main payment system, shop online, access the government information and services portal, deal with your taxes, make a health appointment or view your pension online, and apply for a college course.

Estonians, likewise, use their almost 20-year-old e-ID (also available, if much less commonly, in card form), to vote, digitally sign documents and access public services from healthcare to education, as well as for banking and online shopping.

Countries with well-developed digital identities – including war-torn Ukraine, where the Diia app allows people to store 14 important digital documents and access 21 services – argue that they modernise and streamline public services. Estonia claims e-ID saves citizens about five days a year of pre-digital administrative hassle.

Within the EU, opposition to the bloc’s planned digital ID wallet has so far been restricted mainly to ensuring that potential privacy loopholes are safely closed off. Countries that already operate digital IDs have reported no major security issues.

On the contrary, many digital ID’s have proved highly popular. Poland’s mObywatel, unrolled from 2017, recently passed the milestone of 10 million active users – a third of the country’s adult population – with more than 1 million people using it daily.

Users log into the app for the first time by confirming their identity either through their electronic banking service (without accessing any financial data), by using a digitally enabled physical ID card, or through a special “trusted profile” online.

They can then produce a digital version of their ID card, check the points on their driving licence, see local air quality and find or change their polling station. They can report lost documents and verify someone else’s ID by scanning a QR code in the app.

A recently added tool also allows drivers to notify insurers of a collision, confirming their ID and submitting evidence, and earlier this month, student IDs for high school pupils were added so they can use the app to get discounts on public transport and museums.