Overview
- German lawmakers approved the road-traffic amendment Thursday, clearing the way for drivers to show a license on a smartphone during checks.
- The reform still needs the Bundesrat’s sign-off, and the Transport Ministry aims to offer the digital license in the i-Kfz app by late 2026.
- Municipalities will be allowed to use cameras to scan license plates for parking control, and they can extend resident-parking privileges to tradespeople and care services.
- The law moves to curb ‘points trading’ in the Flensburg registry, setting fines up to €5,000 for private transfers and up to €30,000 for commercial schemes.
- The digital license will start as Germany-only, and while the KBA calls it vital to EU-aligned digitization, police unions warn about patchy network coverage and the lack of a physical card to seize.