The federal government has adopted the draft of a Fifth Law to amend the Road Traffic Act and other road-traffic-related regulations. The draft bill presented by the Federal Minister for Transport, Patrick Schnieder, creates the legal prerequisites for several central digitisation projects in road traffic. The aim is to simplify administrative processes and enable digital proofs in the mobility sector.
Introduction of the digital driver's license planned by end of 2026
According to the Federal Ministry of Transport, the digital driver's license should in the future replace the traditional card driver's license, as the document will be verifiable digitally via the smartphone. This will make everyday processes such as the use of rental cars or car-sharing
services easier. The goal is to make the national digital driver's license available by the end of 2026 — well ahead of the Europe-wide uniform introduction of the digital driver's license in 2030. The technical requirements of the European EUDI Wallet are already being considered.
Federal Minister for Transport Patrick Schnieder: "We at the Federal Ministry for Transport are decisively advancing the digitization of administration and transport — for a capable state and a modern infrastructure that makes everyday life easier for citizens and businesses. The draft law makes digitization tangible — because it contains concrete measures that directly improve our daily lives. It provides, for example, the basis for the digitization of the driver's license
and vehicle documents, so that in the future the card driver's license or the paper vehicle registration certificate can stay at home and the documents can be verified digitally on smartphones."
Municipalities receive new possibilities for digital parking enforcement
The draft provides that municipalities can in the future use modern procedures for parking space monitoring. Replacing paper parking tickets with a license-plate-based control using scan vehicles should increase the effectiveness of parking controls and help to identify incorrectly parked vehicles — especially on rescue or bike lanes — more quickly.
Digital provision of vehicle data via the KBA
The Kraftfahrt-Bundesamt should in the future provide vehicle data digitally via an online platform. Users should be able
to retrieve technical data and recall information related to a vehicle using its respective Vehicle Identification Number. The draft law contains the necessary data protection foundations for this. This will allow vehicle owners and companies to access relevant information faster and more directly in the future.
Ban on trading points to increase road safety
To improve road safety, the draft also provides for an explicit ban on trading in points in the driving-aptitude register. This covers both commercial offers and attempts to transfer points. Commercial actions can be punished under the draft with fines of up to 30,000 euros. This is intended in particular to deter commercial providers who attempt to transfer traffic violations to other
