Attribute Provider

An Attribute Provider is an entity that serves as an authentic source of identity attributes and is responsible for issuing Electronic Attestations of Attributes (EAAs) or making its data available for issuance as Qualified Electronic Attestations of Attributes (QEAAs) by a QTSP. Under eIDAS 2.0, the concept of attribute providers is central to the richness and utility of the European Digital Identity Wallet.

While the wallet's Person Identification Data is issued by or on behalf of Member States, the wide range of additional credentials that make the wallet genuinely useful, including educational qualifications, professional licences, health records, company registrations, age verification, and more, come from attribute providers. Attribute providers can be public sector bodies (universities, professional regulatory bodies, vehicle registration authorities, health authorities) or private sector entities (employers, banks, insurance companies, certification bodies). Public sector attribute providers are specifically addressed in eIDAS 2.

0: Member States must ensure that attributes available in authentic sources maintained by the public sector are made available for issuance as attestations in electronic form, enabling the digitisation of government-issued documents and certificates. The issuance process involves the attribute provider verifying the attributes against its authoritative data and issuing a signed credential in one of the standard formats (SD-JWT or mdoc) to the wallet holder. If the attestation needs to carry qualified status, the attribute provider works with a QTSP to issue a QEAA.

For organisations, the attribute provider role represents both an opportunity and an obligation. Organisations that hold authoritative data about individuals or entities should assess whether they need to become attribute providers under eIDAS 2.0 and plan the technical and organisational steps required to issue credentials compatible with the EUDIW ecosystem.