This article may contain affiliate links. Learn more on our Partner Program page.
Anyone who would like to finally carry their driver’s license in digital form in this country can now do so using the “ID Wallet” app.
Starting today, German iPhone users can store a digital representation of their identity card (basic ID) and driver's license on their iPhone. This means that, starting with version 1.6, the "ID Wallet" app will now officially supported by the Federal Motor Transport Authority and the Federal Printing Office. The app is advertised as follows:
As a digital wallet, the ID Wallet is your central tool for managing and using digital proof in the ecosystem. You can easily store proof in the wallet and use it as verified proof for third parties. When used as part of the verification process, the SSI network is used as a trust anchor to check that the proof really comes from the issuer (e.g. from the Federal Printing Office for the basic ID or from the Federal Motor Transport Authority for the digital driver's license certificate), is valid and authentic.
Save driver's license on iPhone: ID card with online function is required
In order to activate the driver's license on the iPhone, you first need a valid ID card with the online function activated, so the PIN is also required. If you are not sure whether the online function is active, you can do the whole thing via the AusweisApp2 After you have scanned your ID, you can save your driver's license if everything is OK. The app description states:
With this app, it is possible to have the digital driver's license certificate issued via the website of the Federal Motor Transport Authority or directly from the wallet. In the future, the driver's license certificate can be used, for example, by affiliated fleet operators or car-sharing companies in the driver's license check; the necessary services are currently being set up.
With iOS 15, Apple announced the integration of driver's licenses and ID cards into its own Wallet app, a feature that many people find attractive. However, it's only supported in the US – for now. Whether this will eventually be available here is currently unknown. For this reason, we should get used to the "ID Wallet" solution (available on the App Store), which, incidentally, operates completely independently of Apple's Wallet. (Image: Apfelpatient – ID Wallet App)
