The EU Age Verification App (EU AV App) is being developed by the European Commission as part of the European Digital Identity (EUDI) Wallet programme. It provides a standard mechanism for users to prove their age online or in person without disclosing their identity, using privacy-preserving proof-of-age attestations issued within the eIDAS 2.0 trust framework.
The app acts as a secure intermediary between the user, the credential issuer, and the relying party. When a website or service requests an age check, the app retrieves the relevant age attribute from the user’s credential — for example, a national eID or a proof-of-age attestation issued by an accredited provider — and generates a proof that satisfies the requested condition (such as confirmation that the user is over 18). The proof is transmitted in a standardised, digitally signed format defined by the EUDI technical architecture, and the relying party verifies its authenticity using the issuer’s public key obtained from the EU Trusted List.
The trusted list used for cross-border verification is maintained by the European Commission, based on notifications submitted by Member States. Member States determine which credential issuers they accredit under their national frameworks, and both public-sector bodies and authorised private-sector providers may be included where a Member State chooses to notify them.
The system is designed to support selective disclosure and other privacy-enhancing techniques, including the planned use of zero-knowledge proof mechanisms, ensuring that only the required age attribute is revealed. Because the architecture follows a double-blind model — the relying party cannot identify the user, and the issuer cannot see where the proof is being used — issuers do not have visibility of individual transactions and typically have no direct contractual relationship with relying parties. Fees, if any, are therefore expected to arise primarily at the credential issuance or certification stage rather than on a per-verification basis.
For more information, visit www.ageverification.dev