The Norwegian who forgot the physical driving license at home no longer runs the risk of a traffic control. Since October 1, the country's 2.2 million license holder can easily download a digital driver's license that replaces the plastic variant.

- When you need to show that you have a driver's license, you can open the mobile phone and show the driver's license on the screen, says Bodil Dreyer Rønning, at the Norwegian Public Roads Administration in a press release.

Norway is thus, second to Finland, the second country in Europe to introduce digital driving licenses. However, Norway will be the first to roll out the solution on a full scale. In Finland, the digital variant is currently only used by about 40,000 beta testers.

However, Norway's digital variant is subject to some restrictions compared to the plastic card. It is only valid in Norway and will not initially apply to car hire, either in Norway or abroad.

Sweden is investigating two variants

The Swedish Transport Agency is currently investigating two different variants that may in the long term replace the driver's license in plastic: firstly a digital solution similar to those currently in Norway and Finland and partly a solution that means that you do not have to carry a driver's license at all, neither physically nor digitally.

In March this year, the government's investigators suggested that driving licenses should no longer be regarded as an ID document - and that a national ID card in the future should be issued by the police. The Swedish Transport Agency is currently looking at whether a national ID card could also replace a physical driver's license.

- Then you could legitimize yourself with that card and the police do a look at the road traffic register and just check that you are you, says Pär-Ola Skarviken, investigator at the Swedish Transport Agency.

- We probably think that solution feels most exciting, he continues.

International standard

However, the Swedish Transport Agency has not completely closed the door for a digital variant even in Sweden - especially if the introduction of a national ID card expires on time.

Right now, work is underway to develop a so-called ISO standardization that would create an international standard for digital driving licenses. That standard is expected to be announced by the end of next year.

- It is not likely that there will be a Swedish variant on digital driving licenses before such a standard is in place, but we do not really want to exclude anything, says Pär-Ola Skarviken.