Since 2014, driver’s licenses have an NFC chip, which is a slice of semiconductor material with resistors, transistors and capacitors. NFC stands for Near Field Communication. ‘Near’ refers to the distance needed between the chip and a card reader to transfer data. It is a maximum of ten centimeters.
The chip in that driver’s license contains the same information as on the card itself, such as a signature and passport photo. He is in it to make forging a driving license more difficult, a spokesperson for the RDW, the organization that deals with the registration of vehicles and driving licenses, emailed.
With the chip, the police can also quickly find out who owns the driver’s license, and an officer can copy the data without error for an official report or report. Since 2018, driving licenses have a chip that can do even more: in the future you can log in to government services via the DigiD app. The chip then serves as additional digital identification.
NFC in telephone and public transport chip card
NFC chips are not only in driver’s licenses, but also in bank cards and most modern smartphones. With NFC technology you can put information about an account holder and account number on a phone. You can then pay with a phone by holding it near a card reader.
Public transport chip cards also have an NFC chip for traveling by public transport. It contains information about the season ticket and the travel balance. The public transport chip card is also going to disappear, says a spokesperson for Translink, the company that issues the chip cards and processes transactions in public transport. As of January 1, 2024, we can travel with the NFC chip in our phone or bank card. That saves another pass.