European digital driving licence
The European digital driving licence is a project for a standardised digital driving licence, stored on digital devices like smartphones and valid throughout the European Union and other participating countries.
History
| European Union directive | |
| Text with EEA relevance | |
| Title | Directive (EU) 2025/2205 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 22 October 2025 on driving licences, amending Regulation (EU) 2018/1724 of the European Parliament and of the Council and Directive (EU) 2022/2561 of the European Parliament and of the Council, and repealing Directive 2006/126/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council and Commission Regulation (EU) No 383/2012 |
|---|---|
| Made by | European Parliament and Council of the European Union |
| Made under | Art. 91(1) TFEU |
| Journal reference | OJ L, 2025/2205 |
| History | |
| European Parliament vote | 21 October 2025[1] |
| Council Vote | 2 October 2025[2] |
| Date made | 22 October 2025 |
| Entry into force | 25 November 2025 |
| Implementation date | 26 November 2028 |
| Applies from | 26 November 2029 |
| Preparative texts | |
| Commission proposal | 1 March 2023[3] |
| Other legislation | |
| Replaces | Directive 2006/126/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council |
| Current legislation | |
On 21 October 2025, the European Parliament approved the creation of a European digital driving licence with the adoption of Directive (EU) 2025/2205 (also unofficially called the 4th European Driving Licence Directive),[4] according to the internationally recognized ISO standard (ISO/IEC 18013-5) and compatible with the upcoming EU Digital Identity Wallet (EUDI) in accordance with eIDAS 2.0.[5] This is a standardised European digital driving licence.
Preceding digital (mobile) driving licence implementations
In July 2019, Norway was the first EU/EEA country to issue a mobile version of its driving licence using a proprietary app on a nationwide basis. This was preceded by limited trial in Finland from 2018-2020. Since then, mobile driving licences have been available in Austria, Denmark, France, Greece, Iceland, Poland, Portugal and Spain. These digital/mobile driving licences all have proprietary implementations and are not valid outside their issuing country, as they are not compliant with the current European driving licence rules before the changes of 2025 come into force.
References
- ^ "Modernising EU driving rules to increase road safety | News | European Parliament". www.europarl.europa.eu. 21 October 2025. Retrieved 24 November 2025.
- ^ "Procedure File: 2023/0053(COD) | Legislative Observatory | European Parliament". oeil.europarl.europa.eu. Retrieved 24 November 2025.
- ^ Proposal for a DIRECTIVE OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL on driving licences, amending Directive (EU) 2022/2561 of the European Parliament and of the Council, Regulation (EU) 2018/1724 of the European Parliament and of the Council and repealing Directive 2006/126/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council and Commission Regulation (EU) No 383/2012, 2023, retrieved 24 November 2025
- ^ "EU approves new driving licence rules". Euro Weekly News. 21 October 2025. Retrieved 24 October 2025.
- ^ "The mobile Driving License manual - EU Digital Identity Wallet -". ec.europa.eu. Retrieved 22 September 2025.