The New Digital Driving Licence

The new licence will be fully digital from 2030, and you'll be able to install and display it via your smartphone. However, a physical version can still be requested.

The European Union wants to significantly reduce the number of deaths on the roads. The digital licence is one of the measures aimed at achieving this goal. Checks carried out by the police will indeed be faster and smoother if licences are uniform and digital.

The new digital licence will be valid for fifteen years. That's five years longer than current bank-card-format licences. Paper and bank-card-format licences will gradually be replaced by a digital licence.
The validity period of the licence for people over 65 may possibly differ from the fifteen-year period. EU member states are free to shorten this period if they wish.

• You no longer need a paper version
• You can no longer "forget or lose your licence", and it can no longer be stolen
• You no longer need to go to your local municipal office for replacements or renewals.

• The renewal of the licence is done digitally, so municipalities no longer need to get involved. This is, in fact, already possible via the BELDRIVE website.
• The police and other services will be able to check licences more easily. However, if your smartphone isn't working at the time of a check, this could cause a problem. One solution would be verification via a database, but this option is still being looked into.
• Law enforcement can immediately see whether the driver has committed offences in other EU countries.
• The digital licence can be withdrawn, suspended or cancelled remotely anywhere in the European Union.

The European Parliament is introducing specific provisions for young drivers' driving tests. Particular attention is given to:

• Using a phone while driving
• Blind spots
• The safest way to open the vehicle's doors
• Driver assistance systems
• Driving on slippery roads

After passing the test, drivers enter a two-year probationary period. During this period, offences such as not wearing a seatbelt or driving under the influence will be punished more severely.

Europe wanted to require a medical examination for every driver aged 65 or over. Following protests from member states, this measure wasn't adopted, but countries can decide to introduce it on their own if they wish.
From 2030, drivers will also be able to fill in a questionnaire to help determine whether they're fit to drive a vehicle.

Europe is encouraging member states to introduce zero tolerance for drink driving, but it has been decided that each country can set the severity of the measures itself.

• The minimum age for driving a lorry will go from 21 to 18.
• The minimum age for driving a bus will go from 24 to 21.
• The maximum weight allowed for a vehicle with a category B licence will increase from 3,500 kg to 4,250 kg. This measure aims to make it easier to buy electric vehicles, which are heavier due to the weight of their batteries.