Here’s how to put your driver’s license in your phone so you always have it with you

It is now possible to scan your driving license through the France Identity app. Here are the steps to follow to achieve this.

Forgetting your driver’s license at home is no longer an excuse during roadside checks. Because from January 14, holders of the famous little pink paper can generate a dematerialized version of their driving license on their smartphone.

The news was announced by Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin to Le Parisien. After an eight-month pilot phase carried out in three departments (Rhône, Hauts-de-Seine and Eure-et-Loir), the system was extended to the entire region. The 48 million French people with a driver’s license can import it to their phone, subject to certain conditions.

The first is to download the France Identity app, available on iOS (from version 16.6) and Android (from version 8.0). Once the application is downloaded, motorists who want to digitize their driving license must have a new identity card, which has been issued since August 2021. This is another condition.

This condition is necessary because before obtaining the dematerialized version of the driver’s license, you must insert this new identity card that includes a QR code and an electronic chip into the France Identity application. The operation is very simple, just stick the back of the card to the top of your smartphone screen.

Once this step is completed, you should hope that the application server does not go down. Far from formality. Indeed, following the announcement of the possible dematerialization of driving licenses on 14 February, the France Identity application was downloaded by at least Three million

Number of internet users on the same day. This massive influx led to technical problems, which were still visible on February 15 (the day after the announcement).

If you escape these technical problems, there is only one step left: retrieve your Restricted Information Statement (RIR). This document, available on the My Permit Points platform and which certifies your number of points, can be accessed after entering your permit number. The RIR generates a QR code that you simply need to scan to add your driving license to the France identity document portfolio.

Please note that in case of inspection, the permit can be issued even without internet connection. The digital version is worth the same as the paper version. Obviously, this approach is voluntary and dematerializing your license is not mandatory. Given that the France Identity application aims to develop a digital identity wallet, it would not be surprising if it would soon be possible to integrate other documents such as a registration document, certificate of insurance or even an important card.