1.When issuing a qualified certificate or a qualified electronic attestation of attributes, a qualified trust service provider shall verify the identity and, if applicable, any specific attributes of the natural or legal person to whom the qualified certificate or the qualified electronic attestation of attributes is to be issued.

1a. The verification of the identity referred to in paragraph 1 shall be performed, by appropriate means, by the qualified trust service provider, either directly or by means of a third party, on the basis of one of the following methods or, when needed, on a combination thereof in accordance with the implementing acts referred to in paragraph 1c:

(a) by means of the European Digital Identity Wallet or a notified electronic identification means which meets the requirements set out in Article 8 with regard to assurance level high;

(b) by means of a certificate of a qualified electronic signature or of a qualified electronic seal, issued in compliance with point (a), (c) or (d);

(c) by using other identification methods which ensure the identification of the person with a high level of confidence, the conformity of which shall be confirmed by a conformity assessment body;