Sign PDFs with your Maltese eID card
With CodeB Wallet your Android phone becomes the card reader for your Maltese identity card (eID). Hold the card to the phone and sign PDFs with the qualified signature certificate on the card – no computer, no USB card reader, no browser plug-in. Fully tested with real cards: qualified electronic signatures with the Maltese eID card. CodeB Wallet itself is not certified.
What you need
Your Maltese eID card (the identity card with chip), its card access number (CAN) – the 6 digits printed on the card – and your signature PIN.
An Android phone with NFC and CodeB Wallet. CodeB Wallet is currently being tested in closed groups; interested testers write to info@aloaha.com.
How to sign a PDF with the Maltese eID card
- On the home screen tap Sign, then Select document and pick a PDF on your phone.
- Check the document, then tap Sign with signature card.
- Enter the 6-digit card access number (CAN) printed on the card. The app offers the last number that worked.
- Hold the card flat against the back of your phone and leave it there until signing is finished.
- Enter your PIN. The card signs the document, and the app adds a trusted timestamp.
- You see “Document signed”, with the card used and whether its certificate states a qualified electronic signature. Tap Save to phone or Share.
CodeB Wallet never uses the last PIN try. If the card says only one try is left, nothing is sent – use your card issuer’s own software or service, so that a typing error elsewhere cannot block your card.
A qualified electronic signature
The Maltese eID card holds a qualified certificate for electronic signatures, and the card itself creates the signature – the key never leaves the chip. CodeB Wallet reads the certificate and shows you whether it states a qualified electronic signature (QES). Under eIDAS, a qualified electronic signature has the same legal effect as a handwritten signature.
CodeB Wallet embeds the signature in the PDF as PAdES (ETSI EN 319 142) with a trusted timestamp, so it can be checked in common PDF readers. Fully tested with real cards: qualified electronic signatures with the Maltese eID card. CodeB Wallet itself is not certified.
Security: your card, your PIN, your document
Phone and card first build an encrypted, authenticated connection with the card access number (PACE, the protocol of European ID cards). Your PIN reaches the chip only over this connection, and the chip checks it. The app never stores your PIN.
CodeB Wallet never uses the last PIN try: if the card reports only one try left, nothing is sent. A wrong PIN is never retried automatically.
The PDF stays on your phone. Only a fingerprint (hash) of the signature is sent to the CodeB timestamp service for the trusted timestamp. No account, no tracking.
Tips
Hold the card flat against the back of the phone and keep it still until signing is finished. On Android 14 and later the app shows where your phone’s NFC antenna is.
If the card is moved away too early, nothing is signed – just hold it to the phone again; the app continues without asking for the card access number again.
A blocked PIN is explained before anything is sent. Maltese eID PINs are reset by Identity Malta.
Questions about the Maltese eID card
Can I sign PDFs with my Maltese ID card on my phone?
Yes. CodeB Wallet signs PDFs over NFC with the Maltese eID card on Android phones: enter the card access number (CAN), hold the card to the phone and enter your signature PIN – the card creates the signature. Fully tested with real cards; CodeB Wallet is currently being tested in closed groups.
Is it a qualified electronic signature?
The signature is made with the qualified signature certificate on your Maltese eID card, and the app shows whether the certificate states a qualified electronic signature. Fully tested with real cards: qualified electronic signatures with the Maltese eID card. CodeB Wallet itself is not certified.
Where do I find the card access number (CAN)?
The CAN is the 6-digit number printed on your Maltese eID card. It only opens the encrypted connection to the chip; signing always needs your signature PIN as well.
Do I need a card reader or a computer?
No. An Android phone with NFC is the card reader. Nothing else needs to be installed.
What if my PIN is blocked or I forgot it?
CodeB Wallet cannot reset PINs. Maltese eID PINs are reset by Identity Malta. To protect your card, the app never uses the last PIN try.
Is my Maltese eID stored in the wallet as a digital ID?
No. The card is only used to sign; nothing from it is stored as a document in the wallet. Your digital ID (PID) is a separate credential issued by a PID provider.
Install the test version (Google Play) Closed beta: works only for invited testers who are signed in to Google Play with the e-mail address we have on our tester list.