The Government today published the Road Traffic (Amendment) Bill 2025, which covers the implementation of an electronic driving licence (eDL), in the Gazette.
The bill proposes to amend the Road Traffic Ordinance and related legislation to give holders of driving licences and driving instructors’ licences an alternative option to producing a driving licence for examination or inspection when requested. It would allow holders to displaying their electronic licences on their smart phones, via a specified electronic platform.
The eDL will not be a substitute for a physical driving licence, as driving licence holders will still be issued with a physical driving licence, but they may offer an eDL when requested to show their licence.
The Government believes implementation of an eDL will bring greater convenience to some 2.5 million driving licence holders – especially commercial vehicle drivers, whose physical driving licences are more susceptible to damage due to frequent use.
Those who choose to use an eDL will be able to display it by logging on to a specified eDL mobile application on their smart phones via iAM Smart or the Transport Department’s e-Licensing Portal.
To prevent eDL forgeries, the relevant application will be equipped with security features, including identity authentication and disablement of the screen capture function.
The bill will be introduced into the Legislative Council for a first reading on March 19.
