Electronic exchange of information on driver cards
Article 31
1. In order to ensure that an applicant does not already hold a valid driver card as referred to in Article 26, Member States shall maintain national electronic registers containing the following information on driver cards, including on those referred to in Article 26(4), for a period at least equivalent to the period of validity of those cards: — surname and first name of the driver, — birth date and, if available, place of birth of the driver, — valid driving licence number and country of issue of the driving licence (if applicable), — status of the driver card, — driver card number. 2. The Commission and the Member States shall take all necessary measures to ensure that the electronic registers are interconnected and accessible throughout the Union, using the TACHOnet messaging system referred to in Recommendation 2010/19/EU or a compatible system. In the case of the use of a compatible system, the exchange of electronic data with all other Member States shall be possible through the TACHOnet messaging system. 3. When issuing, replacing and, where necessary, renewing a driver card, Member States shall verify through electronic data exchange that the driver does not already hold another valid driver card. The data exchanged shall be limited to the data necessary for the purpose of this verification. 4. Control officers may have access to the electronic register in order to check the status of a driver card. 5. The Commission shall adopt implementing acts to lay down the common procedures and specifications necessary for the interconnection referred to in paragraph 2, including the format for the data exchanged, the technical procedures for electronic consultation of the national electronic registers, access procedures and security mechanisms. Those implementing acts shall be adopted in accordance with the examination procedure referred to in Article 42(3).