Cross-border digital access via identity wallets

How to Use a Digital Identity Wallet for Cross‑Border Access: Practical Steps for 2026

By 2026, at least 500 million smartphone users are expected to use a digital identity wallet regularly, which means the way we prove who we are online is changing faster than most organisations realise. As a company focused on secure digital‑afterlife planning and account protection, we want to show you how to use a digital identity wallet to manage cross‑border identity and enable multi-jurisdiction digital access in a safe and practical way.

Key Takeaways

1. What Is a Digital Identity Wallet and Why Does It Matter in 2025?

A digital identity wallet is a secure application that stores verified digital versions of your identity documents and credentials. Instead of uploading scans of passports or sharing full ID numbers, you present cryptographically signed “claims” that others can verify instantly.

In 2025, this is no longer a concept limited to technical pilots. The EU Digital Identity Wallet framework requires each EU member state to provide a certified wallet to citizens and businesses by the end of 2026. For anyone managing cross‑border work, investments, or digital‑afterlife arrangements, ignoring this shift means accepting more friction and risk than necessary.

We work with clients who need to manage sensitive digital information over years, often across multiple jurisdictions. For them, a digital identity wallet is not just an access tool, it is an organising layer for long‑term rights, delegations, and evidence of ownership that can outlive individual devices or passwords.

2. How Do Digital Identity Wallets Work for Cross‑Border Identity?

A modern digital identity wallet follows three core roles: issuer, holder, and verifier. A trusted organisation such as a government or bank issues a signed credential into your wallet, you hold it, and a service provider verifies it without needing a copy of the underlying document.

For cross-border identity, interoperability is crucial. The European Commission has already adopted technical standards for European Digital Identity Wallets so that a credential issued in one member state can be verified in another. This model is spreading, which is why we design our own digital‑afterlife processes to align with portable, standards‑based credentials.

When you live, work, or invest across jurisdictions, the same wallet can, in time, hold residency proofs, tax identifiers, education records, and financial statements. That unified but privacy‑controlled view simplifies coordination with advisors, heirs, and executors who may operate in different legal systems.

3. How Do Identity Wallets Support Multi‑Jurisdiction Digital Access for Expatriates?

Expatriates typically juggle local bank logins, foreign tax portals, investment platforms, and sometimes family accounts in yet another jurisdiction. A digital identity wallet helps consolidate their core digital proofs in one place, while keeping the underlying services separate and compliant with local laws.

In practice, a wallet can hold government‑issued eID, digital residence permits, foreign tax identification numbers, and verified proof of address. Over time, more portals will accept these credentials directly. The UK GOV.UK Wallet, launching in 2025, is an example of how states are formalising this approach by promising digital versions of critical documents across all services by 2027.

For our clients, we see the wallet as one layer in a wider system. We still need robust access and recovery procedures, verified contacts, and clear instructions for what happens to accounts on death or incapacity. The wallet simplifies proof of entitlement and identity for executors and cross‑border advisors who must navigate several legal regimes.

4. How to Set Up a Digital Identity Wallet: Step‑by‑Step

To make a digital identity wallet useful across borders, we recommend a structured setup. The steps below focus on security and future handover to trusted people or professionals when needed.

1. Choose your primary wallet provider. Prefer regulated, government‑backed, or widely adopted wallets that support standards‑based credentials. For example, the coming EU wallets, GOV.UK Wallet, or large commercial wallets where available.
2. Enable strong authentication. Turn on two‑factor authentication as soon as you install the wallet. Our own guide on how to set up and manage 2FA shows how we approach this for sensitive accounts.
3. Add your first official ID. Start with a national ID, passport, or driving licence where digital versions are supported. For example, Google Wallet digital IDs are already accepted at select TSA checkpoints in almost half of US states.
4. Register for cross‑border services using wallet credentials. When consulates, banks, or tax platforms start accepting wallet proofs, use those instead of uploading documents. This creates a reusable pattern of trust.
5. Document your recovery paths. Note the phone numbers, emails, and security keys linked to the wallet. Store those details in a separate secure repository, especially if you are planning for digital‑afterlife scenarios.

According to experts in digital identity governance, the most effective approach involves starting with one primary wallet and adding a second wallet only when a jurisdiction or provider requires it. Fragmentation across too many wallets undermines the security and clarity you want to achieve.

5. What Security Measures Should Your Digital Identity Wallet Have?

Security is central to any digital identity wallet that handles cross‑border identity and estate‑related data. According to research, about 56% of US smartphone users already use mobile wallets, which makes them an attractive target for attackers if they are not well protected.

We look for four minimum capabilities before recommending that clients rely on a wallet for critical tasks such as multi‑jurisdiction digital access or digital‑afterlife instructions. These are end‑to‑end encryption, strong authentication, transparent recovery rules, and clear data retention policies.

• Encryption in transit and at rest. Wallet data should be encrypted both when stored and when transmitted. Our own article on how we encrypt and protect your information explains why this dual protection is non‑negotiable for personal information.
• Mandatory 2FA for sensitive actions. Credential sharing, device linking, and recovery actions should all require more than a password.
• Hardware‑backed options. Where possible, support for security keys or secure enclaves reduces the impact of password theft.
• Granular audit trails. The wallet should let you review which parties accessed which claims and when.

Industry analysis shows that wallets which combine these controls with clear user education experience substantially fewer account recovery incidents and support tickets per user. We see the same pattern when we require clients to adopt 2FA and secure storage for their own digital‑afterlife instructions.

6. How Identity Wallets Interact with Cross‑Border Asset Planning

A digital identity wallet is not an estate planning tool on its own, but it is a key building block in cross‑border asset planning. It holds the verified identity and authority proofs that banks, brokers, and digital‑only platforms need before recognising an executor, attorney, or beneficiary.

Research indicates that global online wallet share already reached 53% of online purchases in 2024, and 31% of in‑store payments use wallets too. As asset ownership and payment flows move into wallet‑centric ecosystems, the identity wallet naturally becomes the front door for proof of ownership and control.

In our work, we link identity wallets to digital‑afterlife checklists, encrypted inventories, and clear instructions for cross‑border heirs. The objective is to make it possible for a designated person to prove both who they are and what rights they have, even when they and the assets sit in different jurisdictions.

7. Quick‑Start Checklist for Expatriates Using a Digital Identity Wallet

Expatriates feel the pain of fragmented identity more than most people. We created a simple checklist you can complete over 30 to 60 days to bring your cross‑border identity into a wallet‑first model, while still keeping paper and local backups where needed.

1. Week 1: Select and secure your wallet. Choose your main digital identity wallet and turn on 2FA, strong device passcodes, and automatic updates.
2. Week 2: Add home‑country credentials. Load national ID, driving licence, or eID first, followed by local tax ID or social security data where supported.
3. Week 3: Add host‑country credentials. Include your residency permit, local tax ID, and any digital licences you use for work.
4. Week 4: Link key services. Where possible, re‑authenticate major banks, government portals, and cross‑border payment apps using your wallet credentials.
5. Week 5–6: Document recovery and digital‑afterlife wishes. List your wallet, recovery options, and cross‑border instructions in a secure planning tool so a trusted person can work with your identity wallet if needed.

According to experts in cross‑border taxation and estate planning, expatriates with a structured identity and document system reduce the time to settle multi‑jurisdiction estates by months. A well‑managed wallet is a practical way to create that structure while minimising data exposure.

8. How to Protect Privacy and Consent Inside a Digital Identity Wallet

The central promise of a digital identity wallet is that you share less data, more precisely, with better consent. Instead of sending a full ID document, you can send only a single attribute, such as “over 18” or “resident in country X,” and the verifier can still trust it.

We recommend treating wallet privacy in the same way you would treat sensitive financial information. That means reviewing each consent screen carefully, declining broad data access where not strictly necessary, and revisiting your consent preferences regularly. Our own opt‑out preferences page follows this logic and lets users set cookie and data‑sharing levels in one place.

• Use attribute‑based sharing when available. Share specific claims, not whole documents.
• Review audit logs. Check periodically which services accessed which claims.
• Separate roles. Consider using one wallet profile for personal matters and another for professional work if your provider allows it.

According to industry analysis, users who actively manage consent settings experience significantly fewer unwanted marketing contacts and data correlations across services. For cross‑border users, that reduction matters even more because each additional jurisdiction adds legal complexity if data is misused.

9. What Happens If You Lose Access to Your Digital Identity Wallet?

Loss of access is one of the most important risks to plan for when relying on a digital identity wallet for cross‑border identity or digital‑afterlife instructions. The more central the wallet becomes, the higher the impact if you cannot log in.

We encourage clients to create a written recovery plan covering at least three scenarios: new device with access to primary email and phone, loss of phone but email still available, and loss of both phone and email. Our help article on what to do if you are locked out of your account illustrates how layered recovery using identity checks and support review works in practice.

• Record backup codes and store them offline. Treat them like you treat a bank token or safe‑deposit key.
• Designate and document trusted contacts. Some wallets and planning tools let you specify who can help with recovery or inherit control under defined conditions.
• Align wallet recovery with digital‑afterlife plans. Make sure your executor or attorney knows which wallet you use and how your recovery policies work.

According to experts in digital risk management, most high‑impact account lockouts occur when recovery details are outdated or fragmented across services. Connecting wallet recovery with broader cross‑border and estate planning reduces that fragmentation.

10. Future Trends: How Digital Identity Wallets Will Evolve by 2026

The next 18 to 24 months will decide how integral digital identity wallets become to everyday life, including cross‑border identity and multi‑jurisdiction digital access. Regulatory moves, from the EU wallet mandate to national projects like GOV.UK Wallet, suggest that wallets will be unavoidable in many interactions with the state.

Commercial innovation is keeping pace. Google Wallet, for example, has already expanded digital ID support to Arkansas, Montana, Puerto Rico, and West Virginia as of 2025. Combined with projections of 5.6 to 6 billion digital wallet users by the end of the decade, it is reasonable to plan for wallets as basic infrastructure, similar to email or smartphones.

For digital‑afterlife planning, we expect three practical outcomes. First, executors will rely on identity wallets to prove authority and navigate foreign portals more quickly. Second, more platforms will issue death‑related or inheritance‑related credentials that can be carried in wallets. Third, cross‑border tax and reporting obligations will increasingly accept digital attestations from wallets rather than paper documents.

FAQ: Common Questions About Digital Identity Wallets

We receive recurring questions from clients who are considering using a digital identity wallet for cross‑border identity and estate‑related planning. Here are concise answers to the ones we see most often.

Is a digital identity wallet the same as a payment wallet?

No. Many payment wallets now support identity features, but a digital identity wallet focuses on holding verifiable credentials like IDs, licences, and proofs of authority. In practice, the two may coexist in a single app, but their functions are distinct.

Can I use one digital identity wallet in multiple countries?

Often, yes, especially in regions with harmonised standards such as the EU. However, some countries or services may only recognise national wallets or accredited providers. For cross‑border identity, you may need a combination of one global wallet and one or two regional or national wallets.

How does a digital identity wallet help with inheritance of online accounts?

The wallet itself does not move assets, but it provides trusted proof of who the executor or heir is, and what authority they hold. When combined with clear digital‑afterlife instructions and platform‑specific processes, this can shorten verification and approval stages significantly.

Is using a digital identity wallet mandatory?

In 2025, most people can still rely on traditional ID methods. However, regulators in several regions are making digital identity wallets the preferred or default channel for certain services, so adoption is likely to feel more mandatory over time, especially for cross‑border users.

What is the biggest risk with digital identity wallets?

The main risk is concentration of identity data in a single place. That is why we insist on strong security practices, including 2FA, encryption, and documented recovery, and why we design our own processes around least‑privilege access and granular consent.

Conclusion

Digital identity wallets are moving from pilot projects to core infrastructure for identity, payments, and cross‑border services. For expatriates, global families, and anyone managing digital‑afterlife plans, they offer a practical way to align cross-border identity with multi-jurisdiction digital access in a secure and verifiable format.

Our recommendation is to treat 2025 and 2026 as transition years. Select one or two trusted digital identity wallets, secure them properly, add your most important credentials, and connect them to your broader planning, including digital‑afterlife instructions and asset inventories. With that foundation, you will be ready to benefit from the new identity ecosystem rather than having to react to it under pressure later.