The digital driving licence: what does the revised directive change?
Adopted 2026-06-16 · ≈ 2 min read · 
edited by Dirk Baaijen
The EU is revising its driving licence directive to add a digital licence on your phone alongside the physical one. A provisional political agreement (2024-2025) still needs formal adoption and transposition.
Short answer: The EU is revising its driving licence directive. The headline change is an EU-wide digital driving licence on your smartphone, alongside the existing physical card. Note: this rests on a provisional political agreement (2024-2025) — it is not yet law and still has to be formally adopted and transposed into national legislation.
What is the digital driving licence?
The core of the revision is a digital driving licence you can carry on your phone. It comes in addition to — not instead of — the physical card; the right to a physical licence stays.
- On the smartphone: the digital licence is designed to link to the EU Digital Identity Wallet, the European digital identity wallet. That lets you prove your driving entitlement digitally across the EU.
- EU-wide recognition: the aim is for a digital licence to be valid and recognisable in every member state, making cross-border travel and work easier.
- Roadside checks: digital verification makes enforcement and roadside checks faster and more reliable.
What else changes?
Besides digitalisation, the revision includes some substantive tightenings and easings. Important: these are proposals from the provisional agreement, and the precise wording will follow at formal adoption.
- Accompanied driving from 17: young people could enter professional driving earlier, under supervision. For truck drivers, the plan foresees accompanied driving from 17 under certain conditions.
- Tightened rules: the revision also adjusts road-safety provisions and the validity and issuance of licences.
Why does this matter for transport & logistics?
For the sector, the revision touches two sensitive points:
- Driver shortage: by enabling accompanied driving from 17, the EU wants younger professional drivers to enter the workforce sooner and ease the structural shortage.
- Digital roadside checks: a digital, EU-wide recognised licence simplifies checking drivers and their entitlement at the roadside.
What is the status?
Do not treat this revision as law yet. There is a provisional political agreement (2024-2025) between the co-legislators. The directive still has to be formally adopted and then transposed into national law by the member states, with transition periods. Rely on the official publication for definitive dates and article numbers.
Read more: the Transport & Logistics overview. Take the scan.
Sources
- https://transport.ec.europa.eu/transport-themes/road-safety/eu-road-safety-policy/driving-licences_en
European Commission — driving licences and the digital driving licence.
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