![A look at the digital driver’s license that was unexpectedly created in Italy [An unexpected item obtained in 2024]](https://wheelfeed.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/3945-1761202189819.jpg)
Government service apps are evolving
The back of the digital driver’s license, which shows the types of vehicles that can be driven, is the same as the physical version.
Although I didn’t “buy” it, I managed to get hold of something interesting at the very end of 2024. It’s the “digital driver’s license” that was introduced in Italy on December 4, 2024. It’s a realization of something that had been predicted since 2023.
License holders can voluntarily add their digital driver’s license to the wallet of App IO, a smartphone app for administrative services launched by the Italian government in April 2020. I tried adding it to my installed App IO on December 6th, two days after the digital driver’s license was introduced. I thought it would be completed instantly, but there was a process of inquiry with the Land Transport Bureau first, and it took two days before I was able to add the license to my wallet as notified. Incidentally, this app update also makes it possible to digitize health insurance cards and disability certificates.
According to the authorities, the license is valid even when the police stop you on the road. Apparently, you’ll also receive a message when your license renewal date is approaching. This is convenient. It makes me wish that in the future, the renewal process would also be made online. However, this may be difficult, as there is a medical examination (which is done on the day a designated doctor visits the Automobile Club d’Italia or a driving school).
There was a time like this
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[1] The Automobile Club d’Italia (ACI) is an organization equivalent to Japan’s JAF, but it handles a wide range of administrative procedures, including license renewals. This is the building of its Siena branch. [2] Italian driving schools don’t have practice courses, so they’re located right in the middle of the city. In Siena. [3] Another driving school in Siena. You can see the words Rinnovo Patenti (license renewal) and Visita Medica (medical examination).
When I think back to 1997, when I got my Italian driver’s license by converting my Japanese one, it was made of paper. Even folded in thirds, it was still 7x10cm. At the time, the residence permit that non-EU citizens had to carry was even larger, A4 size paper. Both were bulky and troublesome.
Later, in 1999, Italy also introduced a plastic card-type driver’s license, which was common to the European Union. However, since I was under 50 at the time, I didn’t have to renew it for 10 years. Furthermore, there was a fee to switch to the card-type license, so I decided to continue using my paper license. Furthermore, when it came time to renew, I only had to stick a stamp indicating the procedure had been completed. So, even though I complained that it was hard to fit in my wallet, I ended up using my paper license for 20 years.
Overtaking Japan in digitalization
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[1] When I first got my Italian driver’s license in 1997, it was still made of paper. [2] When I opened it, the photo was attached with tacks. [3] To renew or change my address, I had to affix a stamp sent by the Land Transport Bureau confirming completion of the procedure. [4] In my case, when I renewed my license in 2017, it was made of plastic in accordance with EU standards.
The newly introduced digital license is currently limited to being valid only within the country. Furthermore, given the country’s numerous traffic-related public security organizations, including the national police, military police, financial police, and city police, it raises concerns about whether police officers in charge of checkpoints actually have compatible devices.
Still, it is true that the country has overtaken Japan in the digital age. This year-end innovation gave me the motivation to continue living in this country, where you never know what might happen.
Text & Photo by Akio Lorenzo OYA, journalist based in Italy
