The European Parliament has approved new rules that make it possible to add a digital driving license to your smartphone. From this year onwards, that is finally possible!
European rules for driving licenses
New rules are coming for driving licenses within the European Union! The European Parliament approved a package of new rules on Tuesday, October 21, 2025. These stipulate that driving licenses for motor vehicles will no longer be valid for ten years, but may last fifteen years. In addition, the European Parliament has approved the introduction of a digital driving license on smartphones.
It is not yet possible to add a digital version of your driver’s license to an iPhone or Android device. This is increasingly possible in other countries, for example, residents of various states in the United States can already use digital IDs and driving licenses. This will soon also be possible in European countries, because there is finally permission to add a digital driver’s license to your smartphone.
Digital driving license from 2030
All European Member States and the European Parliament agreed to the introduction of the digital driving license in October. This does not mean that you can immediately add a digital driver’s license to your smartphone, because Member States need time to adapt their systems to this change. According to the RDW, the National Road Transport Agency in the Netherlands, this transition period takes approximately four to five years.
So it will take a while before you can add a digital driver’s license to your smartphone. The RDW has already indicated that Dutch people will be able to use a digital version of their driving license by mid-2030. All European member states must develop at least one ID wallet, which is a special application in which residents of a member state can upload official documents. This includes your driver’s license, passport and diplomas. The first European ID wallets are expected to be available at the end of 2026.
Special digital wallets
Most smartphones already have a digital wallet, to which you can add debit cards or other cards. It is still unclear whether the digital driver’s license will also work with these existing wallets. You may only be able to add the digital version of your driver’s license (and possibly passport) to the European ID wallets. These must meet strict government and security standards, so that your documents remain digitally safe.
From 2030 you can finally add a digital driver’s license to your smartphone. You no longer need a physical driver’s license. It remains to be seen whether applications such as the Apple Wallet will receive support for this, or whether you can only use the special government ID wallet. Don’t want a digital version of your driver’s license? The RDW has already indicated that the physical driver’s license will continue to exist alongside the digital option. Do you want to stay informed? Then sign up for our daily or weekly newsletter, so you know exactly when the digital driver’s license becomes available!
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