Motorists in the Czech Republic will have an important document on their smartphone. We found out how it is in Slovakia

One step closer to a digital driver’s license. At least in part. In the neighboring Czech Republic, they will no longer have to carry a green card in paper form in the vehicle. This means that motorists should only have it stored electronically, for example in a smartphone, the Czech Ministry of Finance informed.

The law does not stipulate the form of a green card

The Ministry has decided whether the driver’s obligation to present a green card at a roadside check is fulfilled even if it is presented in electronic form on a mobile phone display. The conclusion is clear. This obligation can thus be fulfilled. It annulled the decision of the lower-level administrations, which were based on the legal opinion that the green card should be in paper form only.

The law does not explicitly stipulate the form of a green card. It only lists the words how to submit, issue or certify. In terms of the form of the documents, these words are neutral and may relate not only to paper but also to electronic form. For this reason, it could also be possible to present the green card in electronic form.

Given that the green card in paper form does not bear any protective elements that would increase its credibility, such a card in the mobile has, according to the Ministry of Finance, an equivalent evidentiary function.

“It simply came to our notice then. “This decision is not a change of opinion, but a decision in an individual case. We are actively negotiating with the Czech police on how this decision will be reflected in the procedures, ” states the ministry.

We asked the Ministry of Finance how it is in Slovakia

We also asked the Ministry of Finance of the Slovak Republic about this topic. The Ministry plans to open a wider discussion on the UGS Act this year and is also open to the digitization of UGS. However, the MFSR does not currently register any incentives from the market or the supervisory authority for “digitized insurance”.

“However, in the case of wider digitization of UGS processes, we can say that the UGS system is already partly digitized, as contracts are often concluded online through various comparison portals. So the whole process of concluding the contract (including the administration of PZ) is fully digitized. The “verification” database in digital form already works and it is possible to verify vehicle insurance at https://ws.skp.sk/pvia/poistovatel.xhtml?lang=sk. However, this database is only an unofficial database and does not have the nature of a public register. It is up to the control bodies themselves to what extent they will apply digitization in practice. “

Mobile driver’s license?

Last September, we announced that Germany was the first country in the EU where citizens could have a driver’s license on their smartphone, but only for iPhone users. But citizens cannot have a “driver’s license” in the Apple Wallet, a special application is used for that. The mobile driver’s license in Slovakia is still in sight.