Austrian State Printing House: Austria launches mobile driving license for all citizens

- New digital ID wallet app "eAusweise" rolled out for Austrian citizens
- Austrian driving licence launched as first digitalized ID card
- Simultaneous start of additional app "eAusweise Check" that allows person-to-person checks
- Launch marks 3rd major roll-out for the digital identity solution developed by the Austrian State Printing House and its digital subsidiary youniqx Identity AG, dedicated to e-government services

Florian Tursky, Austrian State Secretary for Digitalization and Broadband Expansion, and Gerhard Karner, Austrian Federal Minister of the Interior, officially presented the digital driving licence for the Republic of Austria during a press conference on Wednesday, October 19th. Austria's State Secretary announced the roll-out of the apps "eAusweise" and "eAusweise Check" for Android and iOS to all Austrian citizens. Both apps were developed by youniqx Identity AG, the digital subsidiary of the Austrian State Printing House (OSD). "This milestone marks our third successful launch of a digital identity in Europe and is an absolute lighthouse project for us," says Helmut Lackner, CEO of OSD. "This roll-out makes digital identity a reality for millions of citizens," Lackner states.

Digital driving licence as first ID card in digital platform
The newly released app "eAusweise" acts as the digital identity card platform of the Republic of Austria and is now downloadable free of charge for iOS and Android devices from the respective app stores. Within „eAusweise", the digital driving licence has been launched as the first digitalized ID card and can be shown as official digital proof to the police during a traffic check. No active internet connection is required to show the digital driving licence, thus ensuring the usability even in remote areas.

In addition to "eAusweise", the "eAusweise Check" app and a non-public checking app for municipal police forces were developed as well by youniqx Identity AG. "eAusweise Check" can be downloaded for iOS and Android without any requirements. The app offers a simple function to check Austrian digital driving licences effortlessly and securely.

Profound know-how through MIA platform
Since 2017, OSD has been bundling its expertise in secure digital identity in its in-house digital subsidiary youniqx Identity AG. With the specially developed eID application "MIA" ("My Identity App"), youniqx Identity AG is one of the pioneers in the field of electronic identities. "MIA" is flexible and covers several use cases, such as digital ID cards or electronic health certificates. "MIA" has already launched successfully in two European countries in recent years.
 
Due to the existing know-how, youniqx Identity is able to rapidly adapt "MIA" to individual customer requirements. After only a few months of development time, the digital identity "eID.li" was rolled out in the Principality of Liechtenstein in April 2020. "We have proven on several occasions that we are able to fulfill current and future demands for a modern e-government solution efficiently and securely," explains Lackner. This know-how around digital identities and digital ID cards was now used in the successful launch of the mobile driving licence for the Republic of Austria. "We are looking forward to bring further digital ID applications to millions of users in the future," says Lackner.