It will no longer be necessary in the Netherlands to bring your physical driver’s license, because you can then add a digital driver’s license to your iPhone. This is when!
Digital driver’s license
Do you ever forget your driver’s license? Then there is good news, because in the Netherlands and Belgium it will soon be possible to add a digital driver’s license to your iPhone. The European Parliament has reached an agreement with the Member States. This agreement states that the digital driver’s license will soon be recognized in all countries that are members of the European Union. From 2030 Is it possible to request a digital version of your driver’s license.
This digital version then applies as a replacement for the card that is still being used today. Do you prefer to use a physical driver’s license? You can still request that after 2030. Both the digital and the physical driving license remain valid in the Netherlands for ten years. After this period you have to apply for a new driver’s license, as is already the case. The digital driver’s license must facilitate and save free movement within the European Union.
Apple wallet not suitable
So there is a digital driver’s license to the Netherlands and Belgium, but unfortunately it is not possible to add this driver’s license to your Apple Wallet. Instead, you must install a special application on your iPhone. The European Union is currently developing an app that is safe enough for storing documents if your digital driver’s license. This digital wallet will be available later for all smartphones.
So you will soon need a separate application to save your digital driver’s license on your iPhone. It is expected that it will later also be possible to add a digital passport or other proof of identity to this app. In the United States these documents are available in the Apple wallet, but in the European Union that is not the case. This way there is an end to the physical papers that you should always take with you. The Netherlands and Belgium now have until 2030 to enter the digital driver’s license.
More new rules
As a road user, from 2030 it is no longer obliged to have a physical driver’s license in the European Union. Nevertheless, it remains advisable to continue to do this even after 2030, in case your mobile phone is empty. After all, it is mandatory to have an identification certificate, where an empty iPhone is not a valid excuse. Therefore, make sure that you can always show a driver’s license if you control a car.
The European Parliament and the Member States must now formally approve the agreement. That will probably happen soon, then all countries within the European Union have four years to convert the new rules into legislation. So just patience, because from 2030 you can finally add a digital driver’s license to your iPhone in the Netherlands and Belgium.
Download the iPhoned app
