Digital driving license officially launched in Kurdistan
Kurdistan Prime Minister Masrour Barzani holding his new driving license. Photo: Rudaw
Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) – The Prime Minister of Kurdistan region, Masrour Barzani, announced on Wednesday the launch of the digital driving license during a press conference held in the General Directorate of Traffic in the capital Erbil.
Barzani went through the process of obtaining the new digital driving license and explained that the process went smoothly.
The new system will be essential to collect data related to the population and will provide other digital services, Barzani said.
Kurdistan government is now in a new modern stage where it moved from red-tape procedures to a digital system, Barzani explained.
“Today, I tested the new driver license system. Each citizen will have a unique personal number — the basis for our digital transformation agenda. Our people will soon enjoy many more digital services, reducing corruption and red tape,” Barzani said via Twitter.
“The new scheme is based on a central population information system, through which the government can issue digital IDs for citizens and provide services more efficiently and effectively,” head of Kurdistan Department of Information Technology, Hiwa Afandi, told Kurdistan 24.
In November 2020, an agreement was signed between a German company specialized in providing digital services including smart cards and ePassport and the Ministry of Interior to digitalize driving licenses and vehicle registration papers, according to Kurdistan 24.
The new digital system includes minimum age requirements for different types of drivers’ licenses, ranging from 16 to 20 years old, according to Rudaw news.