Most interactions with local government still rely on paper forms, manual checks, and brittle PDFs. In this demo, Richard Esplin (Head of Product at Truvera) shows how a city can issue a digital residency credential and then use it to verify eligibility across departments—from getting a library card to scheduling trash pickup—using verifiable credentials.
The front end for this proof-of-concept was spun up in an afternoon with an AI code generator, while Truvera handled issuance, verification, selective disclosure, revocation, and ecosystem governance.
Watch the video above to see how easily digital IDs can slot into existing workflows.
Key takeaways & insights from the demo
1) Issue a local, purpose-built digital ID in minutes
- City staff verify a resident in person (ID + proof of address) and issue a residency digital credential.
- Pickup via password-protected QR code; the resident imports it into an identity wallet.
- Wallet can be white-labeled or embedded into an existing city app, so residents don’t need a separate identity wallet.
2) Verify government IDs from trusted sources
- Truvera supports the W3C Digital Credentials API, enabling verifiers to request data from mobile wallets (e.g., Apple Wallet, Google Wallet; Samsung expected).
- In the demo, an “mDL clone” stands in for a real mDL, but the flow mirrors production: scan a verifier QR, approve sharing, receive data via API.
3) Combine multiple credentials for a single service
- Example: issuing a library card requires legal name (from mDL) and residency (from the city credential).
- Truvera supports selective disclosure: the library can request name + residency status without receiving the full address.
4) Slot into legacy processes, modernize step-by-step
- The demo shows how cities can insert digital identity credentials into existing workflows (in-person proofing and paper rental agreements today; introduce more automation later). There's no need to redesign every process before gaining value.
5) Point-and-click governance for issuers & verifiers
- In the Truvera Workspace, the ecosystem admin assigns roles and permissions: who can issue, who can verify, and who can do both.
- You can lock credentials to the ecosystem so only approved verifiers can check them. This is useful for privacy and compliance.
- Optionally add credential monetization to verifications to fund programs (the demo keeps everything free but shows where fees would be configured).
6) Fast verification UX for departments
- Department portals (e.g., the library) show real-time verification results via the API and can auto-fill forms from trusted credential data, reducing errors and desk time.
7) Privacy by design
- Verification flows send only the minimum necessary data (e.g., residency status without address).
- Data is delivered securely via API from a trusted wallet/app.
- Ecosystem reports avoid tracking holder data, preserving resident privacy.
8) Revocation that actually works
- Credentials (like a library card) can be revoked; the public revocation registry is privacy-preserving (no way to identify the holder).
- Wallets reflect revocation status (the demo shows ~90 seconds to update; this is configurable in production).
9) Build speed: afternoon front end, production-ready rails
- The demo’s front end was built in an afternoon with an AI code generator (Lovable).
- Issuance, verification, selective disclosure, revocation, and governance run on Truvera’s APIs and console, so teams can prototype quickly and harden over time.
10) Multiple integration paths
- No-code/low-code via console for manual issuance and testing.
- API keys for embedding issuance & verification into your own portals and apps.
- Works with department-by-department rollout or full-ecosystem deployment.
Why It Matters
This demo shows how governments and municipalities can move from paper documents to trusted, reusable digital credentials without overhauling their entire system at once. With Truvera, agencies can issue, verify, and manage digital IDs in days, while ensuring privacy, compliance, and governance.
👉 Want to explore how digital IDs could streamline services in your organization? Get in touch with us for a deeper walkthrough.
