Digital Identity Wallets and the Future of Tenant Onboarding
Today, verifying a new resident usually means a photo of a passport, a selfie and a few minutes of automated checks. Within the next few years, many residents will be able to do something simpler: share verified identity details straight from an official app on their phone. The EU Digital Identity Wallet is the reason, and its first deadline falls at the end of 2026.
Here is what is coming, who has to act, and what it means for tenant onboarding.
The timeline
Under the revised eIDAS Regulation (EU 2024/1183), the key dates are:
| Date | What happens |
|---|---|
| End of 2026 | Every member state must offer at least one certified wallet to citizens and residents, and public services must accept it |
| End of 2027 | Regulated sectors, including financial and AML-regulated entities and services that require strong user authentication, must accept it on request |
The timeline is set out by Arthur Cox and Estonia's state information system authority. Using the wallet is voluntary for citizens, and readiness is uneven. A July 2026 industry review found fewer than a third of member states meeting readiness benchmarks.
Do living operators have to accept it?
In most cases, not directly. The acceptance obligation targets public services and regulated sectors such as banking, payments, telecoms, energy and very large online platforms. A coliving or student housing operator is generally free to choose. Your payment and verification partners may well fall in scope, though, and residents will start to expect the option once they use it elsewhere.
What it could change in onboarding
The wallet is more than a digital ID card. It can hold verified attributes issued by trusted bodies, and a resident can share only what is needed. For living operators, that could mean:
- Faster identity checks: a verified identity shared in one tap instead of a document photo and a selfie.
- Less data held: confirming that someone is over 18, or holds a given nationality, without storing a full passport copy.
- New verified credentials: in time, attestations such as enrolment at a university, which could simplify student housing checks.
None of this replaces the rest of onboarding. You still need a signed contract, a first payment and, where relevant, checks on companies and guarantors.
How to prepare without over-investing
A sensible approach for 2026 and 2027:
- Do not build your own wallet integration. With 27 member states and several wallets per country, it is a moving target. Rely on verification partners who will support wallet credentials as they mature.
- Keep document-based verification working. Most international residents, including many from outside the EU, will not have an EU wallet for years.
- Collect only the data you need. Wallets reward data minimisation, and so does GDPR.
- Design the flow around the result, not the method. If identity, contract and payment are already one digital sequence, swapping the identity method later is easy.
How to digitise tenant onboarding covers that sequence in detail, and digital nomad visas for coliving operators covers residents arriving from outside the EU.
Where UrbanPay fits
Today, UrbanPay verifies residents remotely with identity checks at three levels: ID only, ID plus liveness, and ID plus phone. Companies are verified through KYB. Verification sits in the same flow as eIDAS-compliant contract signing and account-to-account collection. Whatever form identity takes in future, the rest of the onboarding flow stays the same.
FAQ
What is the EU Digital Identity Wallet?
An official app, offered by every EU member state under eIDAS 2.0, that lets citizens and residents store and share verified identity data and other credentials.
When will the EU Digital Identity Wallet be available?
Member states must offer at least one wallet by the end of 2026. Regulated sectors must accept it from the end of 2027.
Do landlords have to accept the EU Digital Identity Wallet?
Generally not, unless they operate in a regulated sector covered by the acceptance rules. Accepting it voluntarily may become a convenience residents expect.
Talk to Óscar
If you run a coliving, flex living or student housing operation and want to see how collection, verification and contract signing fit together on your volumes, book 20 minutes with me or write directly.
Book 20 minutes with Óscar · [email protected] · Contact UrbanPay