> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://experience-digital-transform.gitbook.io/experience-digital-transformation/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://experience-digital-transform.gitbook.io/experience-digital-transformation/digital-identity-use-cases/digital-identity-issuance-wallet-and-sso-journey.md). # Digital Identity: Issuance, Wallet & SSO Journey How a verifiable claim about a person — a degree, a licence, an entitlement, an identity attribute — is issued, held, and later shared or used to sign in. Modelled on open, W3C-aligned standards, with ### Overview A national ID that already exists on paper or plastic can become a verifiable digital credential that the citizen holds and uses, without re-enrolling anyone. This knowledge product walks through that journey end to end: the ID authority issues a digital version of the national ID, the citizen stores it in a wallet on their phone, and then uses it to sign in to government services. **Building on what exists.** Most countries already run a foundational ID system, with a registry of residents, their core attributes and, often, a photograph or biometric captured at enrolment. This is the brownfield route to digital identity: the existing registry stays the source of truth, and the digital credential is derived from it. Nothing about the physical ID is replaced; the digital credential sits alongside it as a second, portable form of the same identity. **Three components carry the journey:** 1. **Issuance.** The ID authority confirms the person against the registry through a face match, then issues a signed digital credential that the citizen collects by scanning a QR code. 2. **Wallet.** The credential is stored on the citizen's phone, bound to that device and unlocked only by the holder. 3. **Sign-in (SSO).** On a government services portal, the citizen signs in with their national ID, either with a one-time password (OTP) or by presenting the credential from their wallet through a QR code. Both routes run through e-Signet, an open-source identity provider. {% hint style="info" %} **Looking ahead**, the model reaches its full value inside a registry: a discoverable, governed list of trusted issuers and trusted wallets that any relying party can check against. A registry is what turns one authority's signed credential into a genuinely decentralised ecosystem — trust no longer depends on a verifier recognising every issuer by name or holding a bilateral integration with each one. Instead, trust is anchored once, at the registry, and inherited by everyone who relies on it. That same registry pattern is what lets one set of identity rails carry degrees, licences, pensions, and subsidies alike. {% endhint %} ## What this changes * The citizen carries a trusted proof of identity on their phone and decides what to share, and with whom. * Services can confirm who someone is by checking a digital signature, instead of inspecting documents or photocopies. * A single sign-in works across government services, with no separate accounts or passwords for each portal. * The registry is not exposed wholesale; only the attributes a service asks for, and the citizen agrees to, are shared. * Built on open standards, the approach avoids lock-in to any single supplier and leaves room to interoperate across sectors and borders. Because the same wallet holds many kinds of credentials, a claim issued in one domain can serve as proof in another — a verified education or identity credential can act as lightweight proof of identity when a person signs up for a service, rather than resubmitting full documents each time. ## Why It Matters An identity document today — a degree, a licence, an ID card — is a piece of paper or a PDF: easy to fake, slow to verify, and inconvenient to carry. Verifiable Credentials change each of those properties at once. An authority issues a tamper-evident credential, the holder keeps it with full mobility and portability in a wallet on their phone, and anyone who needs to check it can verify it in real time. The practical gains follow directly from the model: * **Forgery becomes impractical.** Credentials are cryptographically signed by the issuer, so a forged or altered credential fails verification. * **Paperwork disappears.** A verified credential is shared in seconds — no document requests, notarised copies, or mailed originals. * **Verification is instant.** Employers, institutions, banks, and government services confirm authenticity in real time, with no phone calls or manual checks and no round-trip to the issuer. * **The holder controls their data.** The person discloses only the specific claims a verifier needs — for example, that a qualification exists, that a licence is valid, or that they are over 18 — rather than handing over a whole document. * **One wallet works across authorities and sectors.** Many issuers and verifiers interoperate through the same standards, so a person needs no separate app or account for each institution or programme. * **Reuse is contained.** Credentials are bound to the holder's device, so a stolen file or a photograph of a document cannot simply be replayed elsewhere. * **Access speeds up.** Jobs, admissions, loans, benefits, and services that depend on identity or eligibility proof are unblocked in minutes, not days. ## Explore This Knowledge Product


	Architecture and Standards The five parties, the shared trust layer, and the open standards the journey is built on.	Architecture and Standards
	The User Journey One citizen, from a physical ID card to signing in to a government service with it.	The User Journey
	Digitising the National ID How a registry record becomes a signed credential: face match, QR code, wallet.	Digitising the National ID
	Holding It in the Wallet How the credential is received, bound to the device, protected, and managed over its lifecycle.	Holding the Digital Identity in Wallet
	Single Sign-On (SSO): Signing In to Government Services with e-Signet Signing in to government portals through e-Signet, with an OTP or the wallet's QR code.	Single Sign-On (SSO): Signing In to Government Services with e-Signet
	Implementation The legal, trust and rollout groundwork a country needs before going live.	Implementation
	Operations Keeping credentials accurate, secure and supported once they are in citizens' hands.	Operations
	Impact: What This Unlocks What changes for citizens, government and services when identity is proven by signature.	Impact: What This Unlocks

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