What is OpenID4VP and Why Should You Care?

The reusable credential problem

Every time a user verifies their identity online, they go through the same tedious process: upload a document, take a selfie, wait for processing. For platforms, each verification costs money. For users, it is friction that kills conversion. The industry needed a way to verify once and reuse that proof everywhere.

Enter OpenID for Verifiable Presentations

OpenID4VP is an open standard that lets users present cryptographic proofs from their digital wallet — like an mDL from Apple Wallet or Google Wallet — to any relying party. The verifier never sees the raw document. They receive a signed presentation that proves specific claims (age over 21, residency in California) without revealing the underlying data.

How stile implements OpenID4VP

When a returning user hits your verification flow, stile checks if they have a valid VP token in their wallet. If they do, the entire verification completes in under one second — no document scan, no selfie, no waiting. The cryptographic signature is verified against the issuing authority, and the eligibility signal is returned instantly.

For your users, this means frictionless repeat visits. For your business, it means dramatically lower verification costs on returning customers. And because the VP token is bound to the user device, it cannot be shared or replayed by someone else.