A professional certificate in your pocket. Fully compliant, zero compromise on security.

In many regulated sectors, professionals must carry personal certificates proving their competence and compliance. For decades, this meant physical cards and paper documents. Kiwa Digital Certification wanted to move professional identity to the smartphone while meeting the strictest possible security and privacy requirements.

The challenge was not just a wallet app. The app needed to handle multiple use cases across different industries, comply with ISO standards for mobile document issuance, and serve two distinct user groups: the professional showing their certificate, and the inspector verifying it, both in the same app.

Elements was asked to build the full eLicense app for iOS and Android, from identity verification through to certificate storage and remote authorisation.

ISO-compliant mobile identity, built from the ground up

The app is compatible with ISO 18013-5, ISO 18013-7, (draft version), and ISO 23220-2 (draft version), the standards used for digital driving licences and professional credentials globally. End-to-end encryption and self-sovereign data control mean users decide which data they share, with whom, and when.

A configurable platform for multiple industries

Rather than a single-purpose solution, we built a configurable platform. The same app serves as a pyro-pass for the fireworks industry (issued by Hobeon SKO on behalf of the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure), and can be extended to new certification types without rebuilding the core. The architecture separates the identity layer from the certificate layer, enabling integration with different backend systems per use case.

Dual-role design: professional and inspector in one app

The app serves both the certificate holder and the person checking it. Inspectors can verify credentials remotely through the same application, with logging and encrypted handshakes that create an auditable trail. This required careful UX separation so each user type lands in the right flow without confusion.

Why a BFF-style (Backend For Frontend) middleware architecture?

The eLicense app integrates with multiple backend systems across different industries. Rather than building direct integrations in the app itself, we introduced a middleware layer that handles authentication, certificate retrieval, and encrypted data exchange. This keeps the app stateless and backend-agnostic, making it straightforward to add new certificate types or industry integrations without touching the client.

Security and compliance requirements in regulated environments require a different kind of discipline than consumer apps. Every architectural decision was reviewed against the applicable ISO standards. Elements is ISO 27001 certified, which is a baseline requirement for working in this category of project.

The eLicense platform is designed to grow across industries. The fireworks use case is live. Education credentials are in scope. Any sector where personal certification matters and physical cards create friction is a potential next step.