ID Austria expands

New function for drivers: registration on your cell phone

Vehicle owners can now carry a digital version of the registration certificate on their cell phone. This requires the "ID Austria".(Bild: APA/HANS KLAUS TECHT)

The digital registration certificate follows the driving license, which has been available since the end of 2022, as the next official document that drivers can also carry on their cell phone. 560,000 driving licenses have already been activated by the public, meaning that they have been received by citizens, said State Secretary for Digitalization Florian Tursky (ÖVP) at the presentation of the next ID Austria function.

For Interior Minister Gerhard Karner (ÖVP), the digital registration certificate is not only important for the population, but also a "further step towards modern police work", which will set an international standard for one of the "most modern police organizations in all of Europe", he said at the Rossauer Kaserne in Vienna. One prerequisite was the modernized equipment of the executive, Karner emphasized, pointing out that every police officer has been equipped with a smartphone since 2017.

Vehicle owners can now carry a digital version of the registration certificate on their cell phone. This requires the "ID Austria".(Bild: APA/HANS KLAUS TECHT)

State Secretary for Digitalization Tursky (ÖVP) stated the goal of transferring all ID cards from the wallet to the smartphone. Now that the registration certificate can also go this way, every traffic check can be carried out digitally. The prerequisite is simply the updated ID-Austria full version - the successor to the cell phone signature - including biometric security functions and a vehicle registered in Austria. Of course, several vehicles can also be stored, and a QR code only needs to be generated during a traffic check, which the officer then checks.

IDcard and e-card to follow
Tursky announced the next digitization steps for 2024 with the ID card, a Digi-E-Card is another project that is being worked on together with the Ministry of Social Affairs. Work is also continuing on the registration certificate, as its digital version cannot yet be passed on when a vehicle is borrowed, for example - the paper version is still the only option for the time being. However, this is set to change soon, as company cars will also be able to be passed on with authorization later in the year. And anyone who fears that they will have problems generating QR codes during a vehicle inspection at a location with poor network coverage can be reassured - Internet access is not necessary, according to Tursky.

Interior Minister Gerhard Karner and Digital State Secretary Florian Tursky (both ÖVP)(Bild: APA/TOBIAS STEINMAURER)

According to Tursky, the amendment to the eIDAS Regulation with the EU Digital Wallet should also make vehicle documents valid in other EU countries. He emphasized that Austria is currently the only European country working with this standard. "All EU countries must have followed suit by the end of 2025. Bilaterally, however, talks are already underway with neighboring countries regarding recognition.

The Ministry of the Interior is taking further digital steps. Karner announced that the next generation of smartphones will be delivered to the executive next year, with around 32,000 devices allowing special search and ZMR queries and 3,000 additional tablets for patrols. "The new devices allow mobile case processing, so officers can process the respective file directly." The pilot phase is ongoing, and full implementation will take place at the end of the year. The mobile options allow officers to carry out their work without having to visit the office. At the same time, the aim is to enable citizen-oriented, service-oriented work.