Greece to introduce full mobile version of digital ID, driving licenses

By this coming Easter, Greeks will be able to carry the downloaded full version of their digital IDs and mobile driver’s licenses (mDLs) in digital wallets on their mobile phones, writes Ekathimerini citing Digital Governance Minister Kyriakos Pierrakakis.

At the moment, it is only possible to download part of the digital ID to serve the purpose of vaccine certificate verification, according to the report, but the imminent full version will allow citizens access to a wide range of services either from the government or from other institutions requiring ID verification.

Pierrakakis was quoted as telling Skai TV that: “We aim to have the biggest part of this work [ready] at the end of the first quarter of 2022, surely before Easter, we will have these changes in terms of the new identity card… and in terms of the driving license.”

The minister added that the partial digital ID had over 600,000 downloads within a space of 48 hours recently, according to Ekathimerini.

Meanwhile, Greek authorities have also announced that it is now possible to save the ID card alongside other documentation such as vaccination and diagnostic certificates in the COVID-free GR Wallet, reports Business Daily.

The outlet cites a joint press release from the Ministries of Digital Governance and Citizen Protection which explains that the ID card carries details such as the holder’s name, date of birth and photo – all details found on the physical ID card.

The card, saved on the GR Wallet application which is available on android and iOS for mobile devices, can be used at entry points to conduct COVID vaccine certificate checks.

The government says the purpose of the novelty is to facilitate the process of vaccine certificate verification by officials, who are also not allowed to carry out any scans on the card during the checks, adds Business Daily.

Article Topics

digital ID  |  digital identity  |  digital wallets  |  driver's license  |  government services  |  Greece  |  health passes  |  identity document  |  identity verification  |  mDL (mobile driver's license)  |  mobile app