Which countries will accept digital ID instead of passports for entry in 2026?
Executive summary
No country in the available reporting is documented to accept a consumer digital ID wallet in place of a passport for international border entry in 2026; instead the clearest near-term change is an EU‑wide Digital Identity (eID) Wallet program that will standardize national digital IDs for online and some cross‑border recognition within the bloc by late 2026, while border control systems continue to rely on passports, biometric cards and new biometric databases like the EU Entry/Exit System (EES) [1] [2] [3].
1. What “accept digital ID instead of a passport” actually means — and why sources don’t show that happening in 2026
Replacing a passport at a border implies sovereign recognition of a portable, verifiable credential presented to immigration officers in lieu of an ICAO‑standard travel document, yet the coverage of global digital‑ID rollout focuses on national digital wallets and inter‑governmental eID recognition for online services rather than de jure replacement of passports at external borders [2] [1]; reporting about EU eID rules and national wallet rollouts frames them as tools for authentication and service access, not as new international travel documents [4] [2].
2. The EU’s big change — widespread digital wallets, but not passport replacements in 2026
Multiple sources converge on the EU requirement that member states deliver an EU Digital Identity Wallet by the end of 2026 and that eIDAS 2.0 enables cross‑acceptance of national eIDs for digital services across the bloc, with member states building national apps on a shared open‑source prototype [1] [5] [4]; however, this legislative and technical framework is described as facilitating mutual recognition for online and administrative transactions rather than redefining passport use at external border controls, where ETIAS and EES and biometric checks are instead being rolled out [2] [3].
3. Border controls are moving digital — but toward biometrics and databases, not wallets-as-passports
European border modernization cited in reporting highlights the Entry/Exit System (EES) and ETIAS as systems that replace stamps with biometric verification and pre‑travel digital authorizations, signaling digitalization of processes but still anchored in passports/biometric ID cards, not substituting a general consumer digital ID wallet for a passport at the point of entry [3] [6].
4. Domestic acceptance of mobile IDs is progressing — complicating the headline
Several jurisdictions are expanding acceptance of mobile or driver’s‑license‑based digital IDs for domestic use and transport security screening (for example U.S. states adding mobile driver’s licenses and TSA pilot acceptance steps), and countries like Sweden, Denmark and others have mature national eID systems for banking and services, which fuels confusion about travel use since domestic acceptance does not equal international border acceptance [7] [6] [2].
5. Where reporting hints at exceptions — and the limits of that evidence
Some sources note specific national digital documents can be used broadly in domestic contexts (Denmark’s digital driver’s license and health card are cited as legal replacements for those physical documents), and Uruguay’s eID is accepted as a travel document in some South American contexts, but the provided reporting does not document any broad, formal policy in 2026 where a digital wallet replaces a passport for arriving at a foreign border beyond isolated bilateral arrangements or internal regional steps [8] [9].
6. Stakes, agendas and how to read the noise
Coverage projecting an imminent “passports replaced” narrative often conflates the EU wallet’s cross‑service recognition with border policy, an optimistic reading that advances vendor, national digital‑program and pro‑interoperability agendas; meanwhile privacy and sovereignty critics emphasize that border control still depends on ICAO‑compliant travel documents and state control of biometrics, points that the reporting supports by describing ongoing EES and ETIAS deployments [4] [3].
7. Bottom line — what can travelers expect in 2026
Travelers should not expect to present a smartphone eID wallet in lieu of an ICAO passport at international borders in 2026 based on the available reporting; instead, expect expanded EU digital wallets for cross‑service identity within the bloc by late 2026 and continued rollout of biometric border systems that still use passports or biometric ID cards as the primary travel documents [1] [2] [3].