Brussels sets technical rules for the European digital mobi…

The European Commission adopted Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/2266 on 13 October 2026, laying down detailed provisions for the application of Directive (EU) 2025/2205 on driving licences as regards mobile driving licences. The text was published in the Official Journal of the European Union, L series, on 14 October 2026 under number OJ L, 2026/2266, with EEA relevance. It enters into force on the twentieth day following publication, that is 3 November 2026.

Legal basis and background

The regulation is adopted under Article 5(7) of Directive (EU) 2025/2205 of 22 October 2025 on driving licences, which amended Regulation (EU) 2018/1724 and Directive (EU) 2022/2561 and repealed Directive 2006/126/EC and Commission Regulation (EU) No 383/2012. The Commission states that the technical and legal framework for mobile driving licences — in particular ISO/IEC standards 18013-5 and Regulation (EU) No 910/2014 (eIDAS) — is “in a highly advanced state”, so the new rules build on it rather than replace it.

The text was signed in Brussels on 13 October 2026 by Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. The European Data Protection Supervisor was consulted under Article 42(1) of Regulation (EU) 2018/1725 and delivered its opinion on 13 July 2026.

Technical specifications and trust model

Mobile driving licences must be issued in the ISO/IEC mdoc format set out in Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2024/2979, applying Clause 7 of ISO/IEC 18013-5:2021 with specific adaptations. The main requirements are:

Issuance as qualified electronic attestations of attributes, or as electronic attestations of attributes issued by or on behalf of public sector bodies responsible for an authentic source, under Regulation (EU) No 910/2014.
Use of the protocols and interfaces of Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2024/2982 when issuing to European Digital Identity Wallets.
A data model aligned with fields 1 to 14 of Annex I, Part D, of Directive (EU) 2025/2205, including a new EU driving privileges structure encoded in CBOR.
A maximum length of 150 characters and latin1b characters only for most data elements.
Verification of authenticity and validity through the technical means of Regulation (EU) No 910/2014, not visual cues; Member States may also use the EU driving licence network.

Validity, revocation and confiscation

Issuing authorities may issue mobile licences with any technical validity period, but must revoke those with a period longer than one hour in defined cases:

Where the wallet unit attestation of the wallet unit concerned has been revoked.
Where another Member State or third country has exchanged or replaced the licence.
Where the right to drive has been cancelled, withdrawn, suspended or restricted.
Where another Member State has notified a confiscation.

Because a mobile licence cannot be physically seized, the regulation creates a dedicated procedure: the confiscating Member State asks the issuing Member State, through the EU driving licence network, to add a sentence to field 14 of the licence stating the date and place of confiscation and how long it remains in effect. Revocation does not affect the administrative validity of the licence.

Exchange and third-country licences

The regulation sets interoperability standards for exchanging or replacing mobile licences across borders, balancing the “one holder, one licence” principle of Article 10(5) of Directive (EU) 2025/2205 with the holder’s expectation of a fast exchange. Where a Member State exchanges a physical licence issued by a third country, it must ask whether the holder also holds a mobile version and request the third country to revoke it. Mobile-only third-country licences may be treated as surrendered if the issuing country meets four conditions on trusted communication, verifiable information, notification and irrevocable revocation.

Deadlines and oversight

By 3 November 2027, Member States must submit to the Commission the information listed in Annex II on each issuing authority, including name, registration number, country code, contact details, web pages, interoperability test results and certificates compliant with ETSI TS 119 412-6 v1.2.1 (2026-04). Any change must be notified immediately. Member States must also inform the Commission of design elements or guidance for the visual appearance of their mobile licences, which the Commission will publish on its website. Processing of personal data remains subject to Regulation (EU) 2016/679, and security incidents affecting issuance or validity must be reported to the Commission in addition to obligations under Directive (EU) 2022/2555 (NIS 2).

What it means for drivers

The regulation turns the mobile driving licence into a qualified, cryptographically verifiable document that must be recognised across the Union, while leaving the administrative validity of the physical licence untouched. Its practical effect depends on Member States meeting the 3 November 2027 notification deadline and on wallets and verifiers implementing the common specifications.

Source: Official Journal of the European Union, L series, 2026/2266, 14 October 2026 (official reference: CELEX 32026R2266).