Germany’s new app-based licence goes live via the i-Kfz app, while the DVLA’s own GOV.UK Wallet version remains unlaunched despite a 2025 promise
Key points
- From late November 2026, German drivers can add their driving licence to the free i-Kfz app run by the Kraftfahrt-Bundesamt (KBA), Germany’s federal motor transport authority.
- In the UK, the DVLA has been working on its own digital driving licence through the GOV.UK Wallet since at least January 2025, but there is still no public launch date as of November 2026.
- Neither the German nor a future UK digital licence will be accepted as valid ID abroad: the physical card stays the only internationally recognised document for now.
Germany is putting the driving licence on the smartphone from late November 2026. In the UK, a similar project at the DVLA has been running for longer and is still not finished.
Germany’s plan is narrow and specific: the KBA will let drivers store their licence data, under a new legal basis in Section 2d of the Straßenverkehrsgesetz (road traffic act) in force since 14 October 2026, inside the existing i-Kfz app. Use is voluntary, the plastic card stays valid, and the digital version will only be recognised inside Germany.
Where the UK’s own project stands
The DVLA has been planning a comparable step for longer. In its own business plan for 2025 to 2026, published on gov.uk, the agency lists work on a digital driving licence inside the GOV.UK Wallet, the government’s cross-department digital ID platform, alongside a cloud migration due to finish by March 2026. A small pilot, limited to DVLA staff and their families and friends, has already run and been completed.
According to a report on the DVLA’s 2025/26 annual results published by PublicTechnology in August 2026, the agency itself now describes the digital licence as “ready for rollout” – but gives no fixed date for when it will actually appear in the GOV.UK Wallet for the public. The original ambition, announced in January 2025, was a first version by the end of that year; by autumn 2026 the project is running well behind that original timeline.
For now, that means UK drivers have nothing to download or activate: the physical licence remains the only document the DVLA, the police and anyone checking ID can rely on.
Checklist: what UK drivers can do now
- Keep carrying the physical card – there is no digital alternative to activate yet.
- Watch gov.uk and the GOV.UK Wallet app for an official rollout announcement rather than third-party claims of an early launch.
- Do not expect a German, French or any other country’s digital licence to be accepted by UK authorities, or vice versa, once either version does launch.
The two projects sit inside a wider European shift. Directive (EU) 2025/2205 on driving licences, adopted on 22 October 2025, introduces an EU-wide mobile driving licence format for member states, but mutual recognition between countries only applies from 54 months after the European Commission’s first implementing act – and the UK, outside the EU since Brexit, is not bound by it in any case. A UK digital licence will be a separate, domestic project.
Frequently asked questions
Can I already use a digital driving licence in the UK?
No. The DVLA describes its GOV.UK Wallet version as ready for rollout as of August 2026, but there is no public launch date and no way for drivers to activate it yet.
Will Germany’s new digital licence work in the UK, or the other way round?
No. Germany’s digital licence is valid only inside Germany. A future UK digital licence would likewise only be recognised domestically unless a separate international agreement is reached.
Do I need to do anything with my physical licence now?
No. In both Germany and the UK, the plastic card remains valid and does not need to be exchanged.
Sources and status
- DVLA: Business Plan 2025 to 2026, gov.uk.
- PublicTechnology: Digital driving licence “ready for rollout”, 6 August 2026.
- EUR-Lex: Directive (EU) 2025/2205 on driving licences, 22 October 2025.
- Gesetze im Internet (in German): Section 2d, Straßenverkehrsgesetz.
- Kraftfahrt-Bundesamt (in German): press release on the i-Kfz app.
Research and data as of: 8 November 2026.
Transparency note: AI-assisted tools were used in researching, structuring and writing this article. The sources used are listed in the article. Publication takes place only after manual editorial approval. Länderfassung auf Basis eines Artikels von Net Trends, für Großbritannien recherchiert. Photo: andibreit / Pixabay, Pixabay Content License.
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