The Bundestag, Germany’s federal parliament, has passed the legal basis for carrying the German identity card on a smartphone through a digital wallet app called “d-you”. According to tagesschau, the same law lets people who were 70 or older when they last applied for an ID card keep using it after it expires. It also means a passport no longer needs updating after a move.
What happened
Tagesschau, the news service of the public broadcaster ARD, reports that the Bundestag has passed new rules for passports and identity cards. The main change is that the Personalausweis (the German national identity card) can be stored on a smartphone. The app will be called “d-you”, and tagesschau says the planned start is at the beginning of next year. More documents will be added to the app over time, and tagesschau names the Führerschein (driving licence) as one of them.
Tagesschau says that with the ID card on a smartphone, it will be easier to prove your identity online to public authorities, service providers and contract partners. The longer-term aim is for the app alone to be enough to identify yourself, so the plastic card could stay at home. Using the app is voluntary.
The law puts an EU regulation into effect in Germany. Tagesschau explains that this regulation requires every member state to offer an application for digital identity documents, for example on a smartphone.
The bill also changes the rules for older people. Anyone who was 70 or older when they applied for their most recent Personalausweis will no longer have to renew it. Their card will stay valid even after the expiry date printed on it. The bill’s explanatory text says that applying for a new card can mean a lot of effort for each individual as people get older. The change is also meant to reduce the workload of the authorities, which expect roughly 285,000 fewer applications a year.
There is a third change, to the Reisepass (passport). If the place of residence recorded in the passport changes, it no longer has to be updated, so the old town or city can stay in the document after a move. According to the bill, this could remove around 1.2 million updates that are currently handled at local offices.
Why it matters if you live in Germany
For holders of a German identity card, the most noticeable change will be the option to carry it on a phone. Tagesschau says the main benefit is simpler online identification with authorities, companies and contract partners. If you have opened a bank account, signed a phone contract or dealt with an office online, you will know how often proof of identity is needed. The app is optional, so nobody has to use it.
The rule for older people matters to families with older relatives. A parent or grandparent who was 70 or older at their last application will not need to make another trip to the Bürgeramt (citizens’ office) when the card runs out. There are limits, though. Tagesschau reports that it is still advisable to carry a valid ID card when travelling within the EU. Keeping the old card is mainly meant for everyday situations, such as a police check or a visit to the Wahllokal (polling station) on election day. The card’s online function also stops working once it has expired, so an older person who uses the card’s online ID function will need a valid card for that.
The passport change helps anyone who moves home. You will no longer have to get the place of residence in your Reisepass corrected after a move. Tagesschau does not say whether this changes anything about registering your new address in general. It only covers the entry in the passport.
For international residents, it is worth being precise about scope. The tagesschau report deals with the German Personalausweis, the German Reisepass and, later, the Führerschein. It does not say whether residence permits or other documents held by non-German citizens will be added to the d-you app. If you hold a German ID card or passport, for example as a naturalised citizen, the changes apply to you as described. If you do not, the report gives no detail on how the wallet will work for you.
What to watch next
The law is not final yet. Tagesschau notes that the Bundesrat, the chamber that represents Germany’s 16 federal states, still has to approve it. Until it does, the rules for older card holders and for passports after a move have not changed.
If the Bundesrat agrees, the next step is the planned launch of the d-you app at the start of next year. After that, the open questions are which documents will be added to the app and when, beyond the Führerschein, and when the app alone will be accepted as proof of identity in everyday situations. Tagesschau describes that last step only as a longer-term aim and gives no date.
The wider background is the pace of digital government in Germany. Tagesschau links the story to earlier reporting that German public administration has fallen well behind its own digitalisation targets. How smoothly d-you launches will be an early test of whether that is starting to change.
Source: tagesschau
Sources
- tagesschau: Das sind die Pläne für den Ausweis auf dem Smartphone, accessed 16 October 2026 (archived copy)
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