Electronic driving licences introduced in five cantons in Switzerland

The Swiss government has announced that four new Swiss cantons will join Appenzell Ausserrhoden in issuing electronic provisional driving licences (ePDL) for people who are learning to drive. 

Electronic driving licences now issued in five Swiss cantons

The Swiss government has recently shared an update on electronic driving licences in a press release. The cantons of Neuchâtel, Bern, Ticino and Valais will now also issue new provisional learner drivers with electronic driving licences. Appenzell Ausserrhoden has been piloting the project since May 2024. The electronic document will be rolled out to the rest of Switzerland by the end of the year.

Provisional drivers who pass their theory test will receive an electronic driving licence, known as an ePDL. The e-document is issued by the driving and vehicle licensing office in each canton. It is stored on the driver’s mobile phone and accessed using an electronic wallet through the swiyu app.

Officials, such as the police or driving instructors, can check the document by scanning a QR code. The Federal Department of Justice and Police’s website explains that the process of verifying an ePDL is possible due to the technology’s trust infrastructure, which “ensures the privacy of learning drivers in the best way possible”. The ePDL is valid in Switzerland and the Principality of Liechtenstein.

Wider rollout coming to Switzerland

The project was developed by the Federal Office of Justice, the Federal Roads Office, the Federal Office of Information Technology, Systems and Telecommunication, the Association of Swiss Road Traffic Offices and the cantonal driving and vehicle licencing offices. It forms part of the 2024 to 2027 digital public services strategy for Switzerland.

A nationwide rollout plan was recently shared with the press in the canton of Neuchâtel. An upcoming referendum on September 28 will also decide if e-IDs will be used more widely in Switzerland as a form of identification.