Here’s what it’s all about
- The electronic driver’s license is also coming to Switzerland, but a launch date has not yet been set.
- You don’t need an e-ID for this; like the learner’s permit, it is issued by the cantonal motor vehicle departments.
- For now, the digital ID is valid only in Switzerland and Liechtenstein; abroad, the physical card is still required.
Anyone learning to drive in Switzerland can now leave their paper learner’s permit at home. Since June 2025, the motor vehicle departments have issued over 230,000 electronic learner’s permits, according to information provided by ASTRA in response to an inquiry from blue News. However, the parent in the passenger seat must still present the plastic card during a traffic stop.
That is exactly what is set to change. With a motion, Parliament has instructed the Federal Council to recognize digital driver’s licenses and vehicle registration certificates as equivalent and to lift the requirement to carry the physical card. According to the administration, the rollout was planned for fall 2026. This fall is now almost over, but a new date has yet to be set.
“The timeline for introducing the electronic driver’s license is currently being worked out in collaboration with the cantonal motor vehicle departments,” ASTRA spokesperson Thomas Rohrbach told blue News. “The exact procedures and timing for the rollout have not yet been determined.” This is likely to affect many people, as around 6.4 million people in Switzerland held a driver’s license for passenger cars at the end of 2025.
Since the summer of 2025, nearly a quarter of a million electronic learner’s permits have been issued.
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The neighbors are driving ahead
According to the *Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung*, Germany’s driver’s license is set to be added to the Federal Motor Transport Authority’s “i-Kfz” app by the end of November. The vehicle registration certificate has already been available for storage there for a year. In early 2027, the driver’s license is also set to be added to the European digital wallet.
Austria has been doing this for some time now. Since October 2022, drivers there have been able to show their driver’s license via an app during traffic stops. Switzerland is thus lagging behind. The reason, however, seems to lie less with the driver’s license itself than with the technology behind it.
Delayed E-ID, delayed infrastructure
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At the end of June, the Federal Office of Justice (BJ) postponed the e-ID for an indefinite period. The decision was justified by new risks posed by artificial intelligence, such as deepfakes, against which the online issuance process needs to be better protected. The trust infrastructure on which digital IDs operate is scheduled to go live in the first half of 2027, regardless of this delay. The BJ specifically cites the electronic driver’s license as an example of its use. A launch before mid-2027 therefore seems unlikely, even though ASTRA has not confirmed a date.
When asked whether an e-ID is required for the digital driver’s license, Rohrbach answers unequivocally. “No, an e-ID is not required to obtain the electronic driver’s license.” Like the learner’s permit, it is issued by the cantonal motor vehicle departments. In Germany and Austria, however, electronic identification is a requirement.
The learner’s permit illustrates how this is likely to work in practice. After passing the written test, you’ll receive a text message with a link that allows you to load the permit into the federal government’s “swiyu” app. The app is free and stores data only on the user’s own smartphone. The police verify its validity via a QR code; third parties can use a web application provided by ASTRA for this purpose.
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A Smartphone Instead of a Wallet
The digital driver’s license is made possible by a directive from ASTRA, which also regulates the requirement to carry it. “For the electronic learner’s permit, it was stipulated that the right to drive can be proven solely by the electronic document,” explains Rohrbach. “A similar provision is also planned for the electronic driver’s license.” However, the physical card will not be phased out; both versions are intended to coexist.
If you’re driving to Italy or France, you’ll still need to pack your physical driver’s license. According to Rohrbach, the electronic driver’s license will only be valid in Switzerland and Liechtenstein; international recognition is currently being clarified. The EU plans to introduce a standardized digital driver’s license by 2030, which will be stored in the European Wallet and recognized by all member states. As a non-EU country, Switzerland is not automatically included in this initiative.
What’s Still Missing
The price is also still up in the air. According to Rohrbach, the cantons decide whether to charge fees, so it’s not possible to make a blanket statement for all of Switzerland. Zurich and Graubünden, for example, issue the electronic learner’s permit for free. Depending on which canton you live in, the mobile driver’s permit could therefore be free or cost a small fee.
We can’t do without paper entirely just yet. As for the vehicle registration certificate, discussions are still underway, and according to ASTRA, it’s unclear when it will be available in digital form. In Austria, the vehicle registration certificate can already be presented via an app. So anyone here who eventually starts driving with their cell phone instead of the physical card will likely have to keep the gray registration certificate in their wallet for a while longer.
