Author: Ingolf Rauh

The future of Swiss eID: Swiyu and Swisscom in line with new ETSI standard

It remains to be seen whether a referendum will be held on the introduction of the Swiss eID. The test version of the new app, called "Swiyu", is already available. This digital identity solution allows citizens to confirm their identity with a smile or a fingerprint on their smartphone.

The eID can be applied for online or in person at the passport office, where a valid ID is required. Once the access data has been provided, the app can be activated. After that, biometric approval or alternative two-factor authentication is sufficient to use the services.

Swiyu - not for signing?

Many people ask themselves the question: Is it possible to sign documents directly with Swiyu? The official answer is initially "no", as the app does not contain a signature certificate and is not used for authentication, but as proof of identity.

Signing with Swisscom Trust Services and Swiyu

However, in the context of Swisscom Trust Services, the answer is clear: "Yes," a signature can be released with a Swiss smile. The background to this is the ISO EN 419 241-1 guideline, which specifies how a qualified electronic signature must be created securely and under the sole control of the signatory. Thanks to the new version of the ETSI standard EN TS 119 431-1, the interpretation of the ISO standard has been clarified: If identification and signature occur in a single session, an additional means of approval for signature allocation can be omitted. The regulations within the framework of the Swiss signature legislation ZertES and the guidelines under eIDAS will be adapted soon.

Why "one-shot" is coming back into fashion

One-time signatures, or "one-shots," have long been considered cumbersome. The time and effort required for identification, whether through video identification or visiting an identification point, made this process unpopular. Therefore, during registration, a signature approval method was often defined directly, such as an approval app, passkeys, or the classic method of using a combination of password and one-time code via SMS. From the second signature onwards, the process was much more straightforward and completed in seconds.

Swiyu's e-wallet changes this perspective: the app acts like an ID card you always have with you anyway, and "identification" using a fingerprint or face scan is as quick as approval with a signature. The eID will therefore make the "one-shot" approach popular again and could one day completely replace alternative signature approval methods.

Swisscom Trust Services Multiple Authentication Broker is already prepared.

This one-shot process, which enables identification without further signature approval, was already approved in 2024 in cooperation with the conformity assessment body for qualified electronic signatures and successfully implemented in Swisscom's "Multiple Authentication Broker" (MAB). Swisscom is therefore ideally prepared to introduce Swiyu as soon as eID is ready.