Digital driving licence: How to get it on your phone

Anyone who drives must be able to show their driving licence during a check. In future, this should also be possible in Germany using a smartphone. The Federal Ministry of Transport is planning to introduce the digital driving licence at the end of 2026 in the Federal Motor Transport Authority’s free i-Kfz app. The ministry page checked does not yet specify a firm launch date.

Sources last checked: 4 November 2026. Planned does not mean available yet: Until the official activation and confirmation that it can be used, you must continue to carry your existing driving licence. The digital vehicle registration certificate, which is already available, is a different document.

What do you need for the digital driving licence?

• A valid German card-format driving licence issued on or after 1 January 1999; this requirement is specified in Section 2d of the Road Traffic Act.
• A suitable smartphone and the official app.
• An electronic means of identification accepted by the specific service.

The requirement concerns a German driving licence, not your nationality. The final technical requirements and accepted identity documents must be checked against the Federal Motor Transport Authority’s information at launch.

How can you identify yourself online without a German identity card?

In addition to the German identity card, the electronic residence permit and the eID card for EU and EEA citizens also provide an online ID function. However, the fact that a card works with the AusweisApp does not yet confirm that the specific driving licence service will accept it.

A foreign passport alone is not a substitute for an online ID card with an eID function. Whether the driving licence service offers other identification methods, and which ones, must be checked against its official launch information.

How do you prepare the app and online ID?

1. 1Install the free i-Kfz app using the official download links. The digital vehicle registration certificate is already available there; the driving licence function has been announced.
2. 2Install the AusweisApp. It supports checking compatible identity cards, electronic residence permits and eID cards.
3. 3Select the device and ID check in the AusweisApp. Hold the card against your smartphone’s NFC interface. The app checks the device, card and online ID function.
4. 4Check that you know your chosen six-digit PIN. If you still have a valid five-digit transport PIN, you can use it in the AusweisApp to set your own six-digit PIN.
5. 5Wait for the driving licence service to be officially activated. Then check the accepted identity documents and follow the official application process. The individual buttons have not yet been definitively described ahead of launch.

What should you do if you have forgotten your PIN?

A new PIN reset letter can no longer be ordered online. The PIN reset and activation service was discontinued on 29 December 2023. The original instructions for ordering online are therefore no longer up to date.

• German identity card: Contact your responsible identity card authority, usually the citizens’ office, to reset your PIN. According to the AusweisApp, resetting it is free of charge.
• eID card for EU/EEA citizens: Contact the responsible eID card authority; placing a new online order for a PIN reset letter is not available.
• Electronic residence permit: Contact your responsible foreigners authority to reset your PIN.

What applies if you have a foreign driving licence?

A driving licence and an identity document are different things: If you have a suitable German card-format driving licence and foreign nationality, you may in principle qualify for the digital driving licence if the other requirements are met. The accepted electronic identification methods must be checked at launch.

A Croatian, Bosnian, Serbian or other foreign driving licence does not meet the requirement of a German card-format driving licence specified in Section 2d of the Road Traffic Act (StVG). It cannot be stored as a German digital driving licence simply on that basis. Whether you may drive in Germany with your foreign driving licence is governed by other rules.

Will you then be able to drive without the plastic card?

The national digital driving licence is intended to serve as official proof during traffic checks in Germany. You must show it on your smartphone and allow it to be verified. Only use this option once the official service has actually launched and the applicable guidance confirms it.

The initially national digital driving licence will not automatically be recognised abroad. Continue to take your card-format driving licence with you when driving abroad. The card is also a useful backup if your battery is flat or you have technical problems.

Is the digital driving licence mandatory?

No, using it is voluntary. If you do not want to use it or do not meet the technical requirements, you can continue to use your existing valid driving licence.

What matters now?

• The digital driving licence has been announced for the end of 2026; a firm launch date has not yet been confirmed.
• You can install the official apps and check your online ID function and PIN.
• The requirement to have a German card-format driving licence is not the same as German nationality.
• Check the specific identity documents accepted and the application procedure when the service is officially activated.
• Until then, continue to carry your existing driving licence.

This information provides general guidance. Technical procedures may change before the official launch; an announcement does not yet mean a function is available to use.