Renewing driving licences to go online
The procedures for the renewal of driving licenses and the issuance of copies of vehicle licenses are being digitized as part of a Transport Ministry initiative in cooperation with the Digital Governance Ministry to move services online.
The service concerns professional driving licenses that are renewed every five years, as well as other driving licenses that are renewed every three years if the holder is over the age of 65. It also concerns the issuance of passenger car and motorcycle licenses for private use due to loss, theft or damage.
The licence can be printed at a police station and delivered by courier for a fee, removing the need to visit a local transport ministry office in person.
An online process will also allow citizens to replace stolen, lost or ruined vehicle registration papers.
Commenting on the change, Infrastructure and Transport Minister Kostas A. Karamanlis noted that his ministry, after making almost no progress in terms of digital transitions for years, was “slowly entering the 21st century, with the help of digital policy,” and had taken great strides in the last 24 months.
He said the ministry also intends to create a single system for issuing free motorway passes for people with disabilities.
The transport ministry has so far digitized processes for the issuance of temporary driving licences, replacing lost, stolen or destroyed driving licences, issuing vehicle permits for the “Daktylios” ring in the centre of Athens.
Its future plans include the creation of a digital “car wallet” that will allow users to store all documentation needed for their vehicles on their phone, the online transfer of registration to new owners, a driver behavior point system and online issue of tachograph cards for professional drivers, especially long-distance lorry drivers.
[Kathimerini, AMNA]
