AusweisApp is a free software that is easy to use. You can install it on your smartphone , computer  or  tablet  in order to read out the data of your electronic residence permit and to therefore prove your identity online. AusweisApp enables the safe and encrypted exchange of data between your eID and the online service provider to which you want to prove your identity.  

With the AusweisApp, you can use your electronic residence permit to securely verify your identity online. An NFC-enabled smartphone can read the data stored on the chip of your electronic residence permit and send it in encrypted form to the online service of your choice. For example, using the AusweisApp you can open a bank account, apply for financial aid for students, or send a message to the Federal Employment Agency quickly and easily online.

NFC stands for Near Field Communication and is an international transmission standard for the wireless exchange of data over short distances. The data transmission functions the same way as paying with a bank card.

With the app, you can manage your PIN, view the list of service providers, and see the data of your electronic residence permit. You can also check whether your device can read out the online ID function of your electronic residence permit and whether the online ID function is activated.

• The online ID function of your electronic residence permit is activated,
• you have set a six-digit PIN,
• the AusweisApp is installed on your device,
• you have a smartphone that is NFC-enabled. NFC stands for Near Field Communication and enables the wireless exchange of data over short distances.

You can download AusweisApp2 in the Apple App Store, in the Huawei App Gallery as well as in the Google Play Store.

Yes. When you visit the website of a provider that enables online identification directly via your smartphone, it is sufficient to install AusweisApp on your smartphone. In order to do so, it should be possible to use the website via the smartphone without any issues and there should not be any longer applications or forms that have to be filled out.

Find an overview over suitable smartphones here.

Yes. You can use AusweisApp2 on your laptop and read out the electronic residence permit with your smartphone serving as card reader.    

If, for example, a website has not yet been optimized for mobile usage or your task can be carried out more smoothly by using a larger screen.

When you want to use your eID on a device that is not NFC-enabled (for instance a laptop or tablet), you can pair your NFC-enabled smartphone as a card reader.

1. Connect both devices to the same wireless network (WLAN).
2. Install AusweisApp on both devices.
3. Turn on NFC on your smartphone.
4. Start remote access and pairing in the AusweisApp2 on your smartphone .
5. Go into settings in the AusweisApp on your laptop or tablet and click on ”smartphone as card reader“.
6. Choose the smartphone displayed and enter the connection pin.
7. When pairing was successful, your smartphone will be displayed as ”available” in the app on your desktop and the tablet will be listed under “paired devices”.

Yes, some tablets are equipped with an NFC chip, which enables you to directly prove your identity via your tablet. However, it is the case with most tablets that you need to use your smartphone as a card reader (see option b: Can I use my smartphone as an external card reader?).

1. When using your laptop, open AusweisApp first (when you are using your smartphone, skip directly to step 2).
2. On the website of the administration / provider that you want to identify for, choose signing in / registration via eID.
3. The service then redirects you from the website to AusweisApp2. Follow the instructions of AusweisApp2 in order to successfully identify yourself online.
4. When AusweisApp requires you to do so, put your electronic residence permit directly on the NFC interface of your smartphone and enter your six-digit, self-chosen PIN.

You can find out if your smartphone fulfills all technical prerequisites and if online identification is activated via the function “checking device and ID.

When checking of the smartphone and the electronic residence permit was successful, you can carry out a test authentication by using the function “checking my data”. When using this function, the data stored in your electronic residence permit is read and displayed. This function is called “self-disclosure”.

Find a list of providers here: www.ausweisapp.bund.de and here: www.personalausweisportal.de.

• Check via AusweisApp whether your device supports online identification.
• Remove the protective cover, if there is one.
• Place the electronic residence permit directly on the NFC interface and keep it in position as stably as possible during the reading out.
• Inform yourself (for instance on the internet), where exactly the NFC interface of your device is. In order to find out the optimal position for the reading out of the electronic residence permit, move the electronic residence permit slowly across the  back of your device. In case that there is no response after several seconds, remove the electronic residence permit and then repeat holding it against the smartphone.
• If you want to use your smartphone as a card reader, check whether pairing was successful.

This issue could be solved as follows:

• Remove the protective cover of your smartphones as it may be disrupting your NFC connection.
• Battery: Load the battery sufficiently or plug in the charge cable.
• Position: Place the electronic residence permit on different positions in order to find out the position of the NFC interface.
• Reboot: Reboot the app or the smartphone.

AusweisApp is compatible with the operating systems Android 5.0 or above, iOS 13.0 or above, macOS 10.13 or above and Windows 7 SP1, 8.1,10.