The driving license on your smartphone from 2024

Your smartphone is about to take on a new role, that of depositary of your driving licence. No need to frantically rummage through your wallet during a roadside check, your faithful technological companion will come to your rescue.

Update July 17, 2023:

The government just announced that, during a press conference on road safety on July 17, 2023, the plans of the Ministry of the Interior to widen the use of the dematerialized driving license on a national scale in 2024. He however wanted to reassure that the physical driving license would still be in force, but would coexist with the dematerialized version.

Original article from May 17, 2023:

As Le Parisien reveals, our smartphones are about to play a new role: that of guardian of your driving license. Indeed, a digital version of the driving license will soon see the light of day, nestled comfortably in an application. You can therefore show your credentials during a roadside check by brandishing your smartphone rather than desperately rummaging through your wallet.

This new generation permit, which can be consulted without even needing an Internet connection (practical for white areas), will also serve as proof of online identity. It will not replace our physical documents, it is a certified true copy of an administrative document.

How it works ?

The digital driving license will be available in the “Portfolio” tab of the France Identity application (iOS and Android), developed by the National Agency for Secure Documents (ANTS). Currently in beta version and tested in some departments, it is not yet available in stores, it already hosts the digital twin of the national electronic identity card (CNIe). This “e-Driver’s License” uses the design of the plastic card in credit card format which has been in force since 2013.

Don’t worry, even with your old pink license, you can get a dematerialized version. However, you will need to have already registered the digital CNIe clone in the app.

To import your license into the application, you will have two options. The first consists of retrieving your Restricted Information Statement (RIR), on the Télépoints teleservice site, using your license number. Basically, you scan a QR Code and presto, magic of technology, your license is in your phone.

The second, even simpler method is to “ import my driving rights » by remotely querying the Road Safety Delegation database. The permit is then downloaded and will be available offline.

What about roadside checks?

In the event of a traffic check, all you have to do is play the technophile by opening the application and presenting your “rights to drive”, accessible even in the depths of the countryside without any network. Law enforcement agencies, which have not remained in the Stone Age, have NEO smartphones equipped with an NFC chip reader. They will be able to check in the blink of an eye the validity of your license and make sure that you are not a dangerous criminal on the loose.

For your employer? To rent ?

Normally, everything is planned. You can edit in a flash a proof that certifies your ability to drive. You can create this document, specify its recipient (a lessor, an employer, etc.), and obtain an official document ready to be sent by e-mail or via a messaging application such as WhatsApp. However, if you are going on a long trip, it will always be necessary to have at least the paper version of your driving license, and at best an international version.

When is it scheduled for?

The generalization of this application is planned for early 2024a few weeks after the application was made available France Identity to a wider audience.

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