E-ID pilot project: Provisional driving licence for learner drivers soon available in electronic form throughout Switzerland
Boudevilliers, 08.09.2025 — The Canton of Neuchâtel (NE) and three other cantons are now issuing provisional driving licences for learner drivers (ePDL) in electronic form. Until now, these digital credentials were only issued by the Canton of Appenzell Ausserrhoden (AR). By the end of the year, the ePDL will be available throughout Switzerland. Plans for a nationwide rollout were presented on 8 September at a press conference in the canton of Neuchâtel, which was attended by Federal Councillor Beat Jans and Cantonal Councillor Céline Vara.
The electronic provisional driving licence (ePDL) was launched as a pilot project in May 2024 in the canton of Appenzell Ausserrhoden (AR). It was developed by the Federal Office of Justice (FOJ), the Federal Roads Office (FEDRO), the Federal Office of Information Technology, Systems and Telecommunication (FOITT), the Association of Swiss Road Traffic Offices (asa) and the cantonal driver and vehicle licensing offices. The electronic document is now being issued by the Cantons of Neuchâtel (NE), Bern (BE), Ticino (TI) and Valais (VS), and will be available throughout the whole of Switzerland by the end of the year. This marks a milestone in the 2024–27 Digital Public Services Switzerland strategy.
Plans for the nationwide rollout of the document were presented at a joint press conference on 8 September in Boudevilliers (NE). The conference was attended by Federal Councillor Beat Jans, Céline Vara, Cantonal Councillor for Security, Digitalisation and Culture of the Canton of Neuchâtel, Lorenzo Cascioni, Deputy Director of FEDRO, Philippe Burri, Director of the Cantonal Driver and Vehicle Licensing Office of the Canton of Neuchâtel (SCAN), and asa representatives. Mr Jans emphasised that the ePDL will be one of hopefully many possible applications for the future trust infrastructure of the e-ID.
Anyone who has passed the theory test in these cantons will be able to obtain their learner's driving licence also in electronic form. The ePDL is issued by the driver and vehicle licensing office of the respective canton and stored on the learner driver's smartphone in an electronic wallet downloaded using the swiyu wallet app. The document can be verified, for example by a driving instructor at the start of a driving lesson or by the police in a traffic check, by means of a QR code that transmits the relevant data. The ePDL is valid throughout Switzerland and the Principality of Liechtenstein.
ePDL as part of a project to develop the e-ID
The ePDL was developed as part of a project to develop state-recognised electronic credentials (e-ID). Essentially, it works in the same way as the e-ID and allows various practical aspects to be tested before the e-ID goes live. Pilot projects like these aim to provide insights not only into various technical aspects, but also how users deal with a digital identity document and use the swiyu wallet app. The experience gained is being incorporated into the development of the e-ID.
The first pilot project of its kind was the development of an electronic identity card for federal government employees, which was tested in 2022. Since 2023, authorities, businesses and the general public have been able to gain experience with the planned trust infrastructure in a test environment called Public Beta, provided by the federal government. In this environment, private individuals and authorities can issue and verify electronic credentials.
The federal government's e-ID project is managed by the FOJ. The Swiss electorate has called for a referendum on the new e-ID Act, which was approved by Parliament on 20 December 2024. A vote will be held on 28 September. If voters approve the law, the e-ID will be introduced in the third quarter of 2026 at the earliest.