Driving license in Austria: digital from spring 2021
from David Haydl 
on November 21, 2020, 11:30 am | 🔥 popular | Write a comment
This week, changes to the law were applied for in Austria, which will make it possible in the future to carry the driver's license digitally with you. The necessary infrastructure should be in place by spring 2021.
Economics and Digital Minister Ulrike Schramböck (ÖVP) speaks of a further step towards the "administration" of the future. Last Wednesday, legislative amendments to the motor vehicle law, the driver's license law, the passport law and the e-government law for a digital driver's license were approved in the Council of Ministersprochen. Starting next spring, you should be able to leave your analogue license at home.
Digital driver's license: verification with citizen card or mobile phone signature
The introduction of the digital driver's license should only be the beginning of a major change. In the future, it should also be possible to carry digital permits, fishing licenses, hunting licenses and others with you. Electronic proof of identity, or E-ID for short, is to become the new standard.
The driver's license and other identification documents should be able to be uploaded in the "Digital Office" app. These are already available for various types of official channels and should be expanded by spring. The system for the citizen card and the mobile phone signature is also to be modified. These are already in use in Austria and will then be used to establish identity. The adjustments are necessary for compliance with the new laws.
It is good that the Austrian government wants to take this step. With things like Apple Pay and Google Pay and apps like Stocard, carrying a wallet is becoming less and less important and people tend to forget about it. In the future, you will no longer have to think about whether my ticket is with you - the smartphone where it is stored is already taken with you by default nowadays.
