Identification in official services in the EU area using a citizen certificate to be enabled in 2026

The Finnish citizen certificate has received official eIDAS approval, which will make it possible to use the certificate for electronic identification in the digital services of public authorities and private service providers throughout the EU. EU Member States will have until the beginning of 2026 to add the Finnish citizen certificate as an approved European means of eID to their services.

The Finnish citizen certificate was notified as an eIDAS-compatible European means of electronic identification in April 2025. It was added to the list of approved cross-border electronic identification services in the Official Journal of the European Union on 25 April 2025.

Read more in the official Journal of the European Union

From early 2026, the Finnish citizen certificate can be used to identify oneself in the public administration services of EU countries and in many education and banking services. A service that allows identification using European identification schemes will always contain the attached icon, which has a lock inside the EU star symbol. You can use the Finnish Citizen Certificate to identify yourself in services in which the Finnish flag is displayed during the identification stage

The EIDAS Regulation will improve the accessibility of services and increase trust in electronic services by defining a common framework for electronic identification and trust services throughout the EU. 

The citizen certificate is a means of eID with a high assurance level attached to a Finnish electronic identity card. It is used by entering an activated identity card in a card reader device, for example, when indentification is required for an official service. 

Read more about the activation of the citizen certificate and its use in eIDAS identification on our website