Getting your Driving License online with eID
Manage your Driving License requests over the Internet
Applying for a driving license is a service that many EU citizens require at one time or another in their life.
Although there are certain stages that require attendance in person (such as taking the practical driving exam), a number of Member States have already taken steps to ensure that at least some parts of the process can be conducted online.
In this way, governments hope to get residents on the road and where they want to be with a minimum of hassle. Thanks to the introduction of eIDAS eID schemes, these online operations are becoming more easily accessible for EU citizens.
What is eID and how does it work?
Countries across the EU have developed national electronic identity schemes to improve citizen’s access to national services. But all these national eID systems had differing security mechanisms and were based on different philosophies, lacking cross-border recognition and validation.
To address this, an EU approach, underpinned by the eIDAS Regulation, has been set up. CEF eID now provides the standards and supports the infrastructure (the eIDAS network) which allows these national eID schemes to be mutually recognisable.
A network of eIDAS nodes has been set up across all EEA Member States, based on these standards. This means that an ever growing number of notified national eID schemes can now be used to identify citizens who wish to access different public services in other EU countries.
An overview of the countries already providing notified eID schemes under eIDAS can be found here.
Where can you get your Driving License with an eIDAS eID?
If you have an eID from a notified eID scheme, you can start using it right away to access online public services in EU countries. The list of notified eID schemes is growing rapidly — currently 19, across 15 Member States. 1
Countries which have already connected their Driving License Request service to the eIDAS network make it possible for citizens from other EU countries to access it, using a notified eIDAS eID.
Here are some examples of where this is already possible:
Finland
The Finnish Transport and Communications Agency allows citizens to apply for their driving license online — log-in is available through a range of both Finnish and eIDAS eIDs. The service automatically fetches data, such as the user’s photograph, signature and address, to complete the process and mail the license upon approval.
Lithuania
Users can log-in through Lithuania’s eGovernment portal to reach the website where they can apply for a driving licence. EU citizens can also request to exchange their current license, from a EU country, for a Lithuanian one, besides being able to pay for it, order its delivery via courier, or reviewing any data that the system has stored about them.
If you know of another EU Member State where this service can be accessed using an online eID, contact us with the details and we will add them to the list.
If you do not yet have an eID from a notified eID scheme, but are a citizen from one of the countries that already provide them, you can consult the overview of notified eIDs across the EU and apply to get one.