Czech Government to Transfer ID Cards and Driving Licences to Mobile Phones
One of the new government’s stated priorities is digitalization. Prime Minister Petr Fiala has announced the intention to bring “ID cards and driving license to mobile phones”.
“We will abolish the obligation to carry ID cards and other documents and replace them with electronic documents,” announced Fiala (ODS), as one of his priorities for this government.
While the actual technology has been around for years, it’s only recently that several countries are beginning to take steps to implement these for everyday use.
That, along with the fact that major tech companies like Apple are providing the ability to store your ID on your phone, means that the use of digital driver’s licenses is on the rise.
The service will be made available “as soon as possible, at the latest in 2023” using the eDokladovska mobile app developed by the State Printing Works of Securities (STC) that enables users to upload and store “digital twins” of their physical documents on their Android or Apple device.
“The application will be available for virtually all current phones,” STC says.
“Data exchange will first take place by reading the QR code and then by Bluetooth transmission.
“Document verification will also work in offline mode [and] users can verify what data they provide for inspection.
“The security of data storage and the method of data exchange between the holder’s application and the verifier’s application is based on the globally recognised interoperable standard ISO 18013-5. The application has active protection against reverse engineering and also includes protection of users against hacker attacks.”
In addition to their digital ID card, driving licence and residence permit, users may also be able to import “additional documents which are issued/personalised by entities other than STC”, such as their vehicle registration certificate, birth certificate, firearm licence and health insurance card, to the eDokladovka app “in the future”.
STC unveiled a prototype of the eDokladovka app in April 2021 when it said that, as soon as legislation for the use of digital documentation was passed, “it is quite realistic to launch within one year of the assignment”.
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