Quiz Entry - updated: 2026.10.22
What was SuisseID, and what replaced it?
SuisseID (about 2010 to 2020/21) was a hardware-based Swiss digital identity on a smartcard or USB token with qualified electronic signatures and SAML login; from 2021 it was replaced by SwissID, a hardware-free service by SwissSign for login and online signatures.
| SuisseID | SwissID | |
|---|---|---|
| Period | ~2010 to 2020/21 | From 2021 |
| Form factor | Hardware: smartcard or USB token | No hardware; account-based |
| Signatures | Qualified electronic signature, also a variant with an organisation entry (signing on behalf of a company) | Online signature solution from SwissSign |
| Login | To online services via SAML | "Login with SwissID", where a service supports it |
Both were classic, provider-centred identities: the provider sits in the middle of every login. That makes them examples of the federated / externally determined model, which is exactly what the state E-ID based on SSI moves away from.
Go deeper:
SuisseID / SwissID (Wikipedia, German) — functions, use cases and the transition to SwissID.