Download and install the eID software for electronic identity

Linux eID software installation

eID software installation procedure

Follow these two steps to download the eID software on Linux:

  1. Install the "eID-archive" package, enabling the eID package repositories.
  2. Install the "eid-viewer" and/or "eid-mw" packages in the usual way for your distribution. This may require you to first perform an update of the indexes (e.g. using "apt-get update").

Supported distributions and versions:

Downloads for unsupported distributions:

You can compile the software yourself using the source code:

eID software

Other packages for unsupported Linux distributions can be found here.

All packages and repositories are digitally signed by the OpenPGP key with the following fingerprint:

B37D 9040 098C 3DEE E00F 6D08 A357 43EA 6773 D225

We recommend that you do not install any packages which are not signed by that key. If you use the correct "eid-archive" package for your distribution, the correct key will be automatically configured and you shouldn't need to worry.

On or shortly after the 1st of January, 2026, the above key will be replaced by the OpenPGP key with the following fingerprint:

EE4D C4E0 455F CD5C 1DC0 64B6 9123 DBE7 67DA 21A4

If you use the correct "eid-archive" package for your distribution, the correct key will be automatically configured and you shouldn't need to worry.

Note, however, that due to the lack of support for the ECDSA algorithm used by the new key in OpenSUSE 15.6 and Enterprise Linux 9, support for these distribution versions will be dropped at that date. If you are using one of these distributions, we recommend you upgrade to the latest version of your distribution to keep receiving updates for the eID software.

 

Reading card fails?

If reading the card fails, check whether the correct driver is installed.
The FAQ-section explains how to check this.