Chapter 4 · 4/5
PID, EAA, QEAA
The difference between person identification data (PID) and the other kinds of attestation (EAA, QEAA, PuB-EAA).
5 min
Not every credential in a wallet carries the same weight. A concert ticket and an identity card both sit in the wallet, but one gets you through a gate and the other opens a bank account. The EU names that difference with four kinds of attestation.
Four kinds
| Type | Who issues it | Example |
|---|---|---|
| PID | The state or a body authorised on its behalf | Name, surname, date of birth: the core of identity |
| EAA | Any organisation | Student card, event ticket, membership |
| QEAA | A qualified trust service provider (QTSP) | An attribute attestation with strong legal weight |
| PuB-EAA | A public body responsible for, or designated by, an authentic source | An attestation the public sector issues from its own register |
- Person Identification Data: core identity data issued by the state or a body authorised on its behalf. is a person's core identity: name, surname, date of birth and similar fields. The state, or a body it authorises, issues it. From 2028 the EU also makes the portrait a mandatory PID field.
- Electronic Attestation of Attributes: an electronic credential showing one of a person's attributes, such as being a student or holding a ticket. shows an attribute of the person: being a student, holding a ticket for an event, being a member of an association. Any organisation can issue an EAA.
- QEAA is an EAA issued by a qualified trust service provider (QTSP). It carries strong legal weight.
- PuB-EAA is an attestation a public body issues from an The place where the official record of a piece of information is kept, such as a population register or a university's student register. it is responsible for, for example a professional registration issued by a ministry from its own register.
Why the distinction matters
A verifier learns from the kind how far it can rely on a credential. A bank opening an account must be sure of the person's identity, so it asks for a PID. A concert gate only needs a ticket, an EAA. A hospital checking a doctor's licence prefers something stronger, a QEAA or a PuB-EAA. The kind answers the question "how much trust, for whom" from the start.
Their counterparts in Tamga
Diplomas, student cards and event tickets on Tamga Network are EAAs. Tamga's identity credential is not a PID: it is a non-qualified, interim identity credential used until states issue their own PID, and it is named as such. Once a state issues its PID, the PID takes its place.
The network can also recognise EU credentials. Under the federation rules, the EU PID and the mobile Driving Licence: the mobile driving licence defined by ISO 18013-5. (mobile driving licence) can be verified on the network as "external credential types"; which external list to trust is decided each time with its own approval.
Summary
- A PID is a person's core identity, issued by the state; an EAA is an attribute attestation any organisation can issue.
- A QEAA comes from a qualified provider and a PuB-EAA from a public authentic source; both carry more legal weight.
- In Tamga, diplomas and tickets are EAAs; Tamga's identity credential is not a PID but an interim credential until a state PID exists.
Go deeper
Technical details and binding rules: