After successful testing in three departments – Rhône, les Hauts-de-Seine, and l’Eure-et-Loir – France is generalizing the numeric or digital driving license to replace the paper version nationwide. Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin has announced that motorists must apply for this digital driving license.

Pierre Chasseray, general delegate and spokesperson for the motorist’s association ’40 millions d’automobilistes’, welcomed the measure that fits within a European wallet for digital identity. “It allows everyone to choose simplicity,” he said.

No obligation to go digital

To use this new type of driving license, users (who must have a France identity account) must download their restricted information declaration from the Mes Points Permis website. This declaration contains a QR code that must be scanned in the France identity application to load the dematerialized version of the driving license.

There is no obligation to go digital. Both paper and digital driving licenses will continue to coexist in France. Integrating the driver’s license into the French identity application is the first step toward an interoperable European wallet for digital identity.

Part of a digital transformation plan

Digital driving licenses, which you can be shown at a roadside check or used to rent a car, were previously tested in May 2023 in three regions. According to the Minister, the digital license allows you to limit the loss or theft of your license, carry out procedures without disclosing all your data, or even fight against fraud during specific procedures online.

Its generalization is also part of the digital transformation plan provided for in the orientation and programming law of the Ministry of the Interior (Lopmi). It was granted an additional 15 billion euros over five years, half for digital technology.

No plans in Belgium

There are no immediate plans to introduce a similar digital driver’s license in Belgium yet. According to Le Soir newspaper, introducing it is not among the government’s priorities, as it should not see the light of day until 2030 at the earliest… unless Belgium takes inspiration from France.

Vias is in favor of the digital driving license. The Road Safety Institute sees it as a first step toward a mechanism that would prevent a driver from getting behind the wheel if his smartphone does not allow him to start the car because he does not have a driver’s license. It would also make it easier to detect driving license violations.

The European Commission wants to introduce a universal digital driver’s license. It should be accessible on smartphones and other digital devices. Such a digital document, issued nationally, should be recognized throughout Europe. No date yet sticks to its introduction.