What characterises the second Swiss E-ID law, and what is its status?

The Federal Act on Electronic Proof of Identity and Other Electronic Credentials makes the E-ID a state-issued, self-determined identity following the SSI principles; it was accepted on 28 September 2025 with 50.39 % Yes, and the trust infrastructure is planned to start in the first half of 2027.

What changed compared with the rejected first law:

• The state issues the E-ID (fedpol), not private companies.
• Self-determined identity: the E-ID sits in the holder's wallet on their phone, and the holder decides what to show to whom, in line with the SSI principles.
• "And other electronic credentials": the law also creates a trust infrastructure that other authorities and private parties can use to issue their own credentials, such as a digital driving licence.

The vote was extremely close (50.39 % Yes to 49.61 % No), showing that trust remained a major concern.

Schedule: the trust infrastructure is to go live in the first half of 2027, independently of the E-ID. In June 2026 the federal government postponed the E-ID launch itself, with a new date to be announced.

Go deeper:

• Die staatliche elektronische Identität (YouTube) — short official explainer of the new state E-ID (in German).
• EJPD: Neuer Zeitplan für die Einführung der E-ID — the June 2026 press release postponing the launch (in German).