The Austrian government is enabling residents to create and store a digital version of their driving licence on their Apple or Android smartphone as a first step towards rolling out “as many digital ID cards and documents on mobile phones as possible”.

Holders of an Austrian physical driving licence can create a digital version of the document in the newly launched eID digital identity and verification app after registering with the ID Austria platform.

They can then present the digital document on their smartphone in the form of a QR code that police officers and other officials can scan to access information, as required.

The digital driving licence is currently valid in Austria only but uses technology compliant with the European Union’s eIDAS regulation so it will be possible for it also to be used in other countries in the future.

“ID Austria has not only developed a state-of-the-art proof [of] identity, it is also an important contribution to cyber security in Austria. It prevents identity theft and puts a stop to cybercrime,” Austria’s Minister of the Interior Gerhard Karner says.

“As the first digital ID in Austria, the digital driving licence is a milestone on the way to digitisation.”

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