The OpenID Foundation says it will open self-certification through its conformance testing platform on February 26, 2026, covering OpenID4VP 1.0, OpenID4VCI 1.0, and the High Assurance Interoperability Profile (HAIP) 1.0. The effort is aimed at implementers building digital identity wallets, credential issuers, and verifiers in jurisdictions that have selected OpenID’s verifiable credential specifications.
The foundation has framed the self-certification program as serving an implementer base across 38 jurisdictions where the OpenID for Verifiable Credentials family has been adopted or referenced in policy and technical frameworks. It says standardized tests are intended to reduce fragmentation and improve interoperability as digital credential ecosystems move beyond pilots.
Conformance tests are available immediately as free, open-source tooling, according to the OpenID Foundation. Implementers can run the suite locally or against OpenID-hosted servers, and the foundation says some teams are integrating the tests into CI pipelines through an API. After the self-certification program formally opens, organizations will be able to submit self-certified test logs; the foundation will publish results on its certification site, with participation in publication described as optional.
Beyond self-certification, the OpenID Foundation reiterated plans to introduce accreditation services in the second quarter of 2026, describing a phased approach that starts with open testing and expands to higher-assurance validation. While accreditation requirements have not been finalized, the foundation says pilots are under development.
The OpenID Conformance Suite is maintained as an open-source project hosted on GitLab, and documentation outlines staging environments, Docker-based local deployments, and scripting options for automated test execution. The foundation notes fees apply only when organizations seek formal certification.
For OpenID4VP, testing is positioned around presentation flows, including support for different credential formats such as SD-JWT verifiable credentials and ISO mdoc variants, along with multiple request and response modes. OpenID4VCI coverage focuses on credential issuance flows, with guidance on running tests and collecting results.
The announcement follows a remote interoperability testing event held in November 2025, where the OpenID Foundation reported high pass rates for HAIP 1.0 alongside OpenID4VP 1.0 and OpenID4VCI 1.0. The foundation linked those outcomes to the availability of open conformance tooling, describing self-certification as the next step in scaling interoperable digital identity deployments.
Sources: OpenID Foundation, OpenID Foundation, OpenID Foundation, OpenID Foundation, OpenID Foundation, GitLab, Google Docs
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By the Mobile ID World Editorial Team
