Switzerland’s Federal Council has pushed back the launch of the country’s national electronic identity card to December 1, 2026, after its original summer 2026 target was set aside in light of outstanding concerns over security and public acceptance. The revised timeline was announced following a Federal Council briefing on February 25, 2026, focused on planned adjustments to the e-ID program.
The delay follows the e-ID Act’s narrow approval of just 50.39 percent in a national referendum held September 28, 2025. After the vote, Federal Councilor Beat Jans instructed the Federal Office of Justice (FOJ) to incorporate the main points of criticism raised by opponents and implement changes before the system goes live. Switzerland’s e-ID journey has faced persistent headwinds: voters rejected a private-sector-run version of the scheme in 2021 with over 64 percent opposition, and last year’s approval left a significant portion of the population unconvinced.
The core revisions address data protection, provider transparency, and technical trustworthiness. Under the updated framework, only legally authorized providers will be permitted to retrieve users’ AHV pension insurance numbers. Unauthorized retrieval attempts will be automatically blocked by the Swiyu wallet, the government-operated app through which the e-ID will be delivered and through which the country had already conducted public testing of its digital identity system.
Providers will also be required to register their intended data queries and stated purposes in a publicly accessible federal register in advance. If a provider requests more information than registered or does not appear in the register, the Swiyu wallet will warn the user, who can then report the abuse to the FOJ. As a last resort, the FOJ can revoke a provider’s access to the e-ID system entirely.
On privacy linkability, a central concern among opponents, the Federal Council confirmed that each holder will receive multiple technically distinct credentials, each usable only once. Because no credential is reused, individual transactions cannot be cross-referenced, preserving user anonymity.
Parliament’s decision to cut the e-ID budget by CHF 1.7 million for 2026 has suspended several planned development tracks, including international e-ID interoperability, a federal backup service, and issuance of e-IDs in third-party wallets. The Federal Council stated these cuts do not affect the security of the e-ID itself or the trust infrastructure operated by the Federal Office of Information Technology, Systems, and Telecommunication, which runs on two independent federal locations.
Several complaints against the September 2025 referendum result are still pending before the Federal Supreme Court. The Federal Council has indicated it will await the Court’s decision before formally enacting the e-ID Act.
Sources: Swiss Federal Department of Justice and Police (eid.admin.ch), Heise Online
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By the ID Tech Editorial Team
