Ireland will get mDLs in 2025

There’s a wee delay on mobile driver’s licenses (mDL) in Ireland, but the government is on track for a rollout this year, according to a report from Dublin newspaper The Journal.

Ireland is among EU countries whose governments, under the eIDAS 2.0 regulation, have until 2026 to provide their citizens with a digital wallet option for managing digital documents and identity credentials.

It has planned to have mobile driver’s licenses up and running by the end of 2024, but pushed the launch to accommodate feedback on accessibility issues for people with additional needs.

Ireland’s wallet will house mDLs (which police will accept), versions of birth certificates, age cards, and other official documents such as marriage certificates, and enable remote digital identity verification and authentication.

It is to launch alongside a “life events portal,” described as a “one-stop shop for engaging with public services for events such as births, deaths, marriages and divorces.”

The move is intended to simplify complex processes such as registering for child benefits or arranging for a death certificate.

The hope is to eventually achieve interoperability with the UK digital driver’s license being rolled out on roughly the same timeline.

Ireland’s digital wallet rollout has €20 million allocated to it for 2025.

Article Topics

digital ID  |  digital wallets  |  identity document  |  Ireland  |  mDL (mobile driver's license)