Wallet Attestation
A wallet attestation is a cryptographic proof, issued by a Wallet Provider, that a specific Wallet Unit meets the technical and security requirements of the EUDI Wallet ecosystem, such as running approved software and storing keys in a secure element. The ARF calls this a Wallet Unit Attestation (WUA).
A WUA is presented alongside a credential, so a verifier can check not only who issued the credential but also that the wallet doing the presenting is a genuine, unmodified Wallet Unit rather than a spoofed client. The ARF defines two concrete subtypes: a Wallet Instance Attestation (WIA) covers the app itself, and a Key Attestation (KA) covers the cryptographic keys generated in the wallet's secure hardware. Together they are scoped to the wallet software and its keys, distinct from a verifiable credential, which makes a claim about the holder's identity or attributes. A Wallet Provider reissues the attestation periodically and can refuse to renew it once a device is found to be jailbroken, running an outdated wallet version, or otherwise no longer meeting the certification baseline, which is how compromised wallet instances get pushed out of the ecosystem without touching the credentials stored on them. Relying parties can require a fresh wallet attestation as part of a presentation request, and some deployments bind it cryptographically to the specific transaction so a captured attestation cannot be replayed in a different session. This layered check, credential plus wallet plus keys, is what lets a verifier trust a remote presentation to the same degree as an in-person document check, without a separate enrolment step for every relying party the wallet ever talks to.
Does a wallet attestation replace the need to check the credential itself?
No, it checks a different thing. The credential proves a claim about the holder, such as their age or qualification, while the wallet attestation proves the app presenting it is a genuine, unmodified Wallet Unit with keys held in secure hardware. A verifier normally checks both before trusting a presentation.