Introduction of digital parent-child passport in Austria postponed by one year

In comments to the media, the chamber also said it was "caught off guard" by the reversal. According to the report, the chamber learned of the postponement from the press.

The digital parent-child passport is intended to electronically document pregnancy and preventive medical examinations for children in the future. The plan was for parents to be able to access the data via the ID Austria platform.

Reaction of the Medical Association

With the postponement, families in Austria will continue to make do with the classic paper passport. This also means continued reliance on handwriting, stamps, and loose slips of paper in many practices.

The Ministry of Health stated that it is working at full speed on a solution. A new date for the introduction would be October 2027, provided the technical requirements are met by then.

The responsible committees in parliament could also address the postponement. A statement from the governing parties was not initially available.

Impact on parents

The Greens had previously advocated for the rapid digitalization of preventive care. The project is now facing a one-year pause.

Overall, the delay is part of a series of major digital projects in Austria that are falling behind their original schedule. Observers see this as a structural problem.

For parents, the postponement means that they will not be able to access information digitally about upcoming vaccinations, preventive care appointments, and examination results for the foreseeable future. The classic mother-child passport remains the leading document for now.

The Medical Association announced that it will closely monitor further developments. It expects the delay not to turn into a permanent pause.

It therefore remains unclear for now which specific technical problems made the new launch date necessary. The Ministry of Health was asked for a statement.

The postponement affects a system that is already heavily characterized by paper files. Any further delay will widen the gap with other European neighbors.