The transition from physical to digital government identification is already underway across the United States. Many U.S. states now issue or pilot mobile driver’s licenses (mDLs). TSA acceptance is expanding and currently includes mDLs from participating states at most airports as part of its ongoing implementation program. By 2030, projections estimate over 143 million Americans will hold a mobile driver's license.
This shift isn't about replacing the plastic card in your wallet with a picture on your phone. It's about creating credentials that are cryptographically secure, privacy-preserving, and verifiable anywhere, in person or online.
What is a mobile driver's license?
A mobile driver's license is a digital version of a state-issued driver's license or identification card, stored securely on a smartphone. Unlike a photograph or PDF, an mDL is a verifiable digital credential: it carries a cryptographic signature from the issuing authority (typically a state DMV) that allows any verifier to confirm its authenticity without contacting the issuer directly.
The credential is bound to the user's device through keys protected by the device’s hardware-backed security (such as a Secure Enclave or secure element, depending on platform), a tamper-resistant hardware component designed to protect sensitive data. If someone copied the credential to another device, it would not function because the required cryptographic key would be missing.
How are mobile driver's licenses issued?
Like physical licenses, mDLs follow a lifecycle that includes issuance, renewal, updates, and revocation. The Department of Motor Vehicles remains responsible for securely provisioning credentials to the holder's device and confirming that the mobile app and device hardware meet functional and security requirements.
Issuance can happen through two pathways. In-person issuance mirrors traditional DMV workflows: individuals bring physical documents, complete identity checks in a DMV office, and the credential is provisioned directly to their phone. Remote issuance supports individuals who cannot easily access DMV offices or prefer the convenience of avoiding a trip to the DMV, utilizing secure digital processes that include facial matching and liveness detection to verify identity before provisioning.
What standards govern mobile driver's licenses?
Mobile driver's licenses are built on international standards that ensure interoperability across states, federal agencies, and eventually across borders. ISO/IEC 18013-5 defines the framework for in-person, offline, and device-to-device mDL verification, making it suitable for law enforcement, age-restricted retail, and airport security. ISO/IEC 18013-7 extends the mDL family to support online presentation patterns, enabling remote and web-based verification use cases.
The federal mDL final rule, harmonized with these international standards, establishes requirements for issuers, wallets, and verifiers in production environments. NIST's Digital Identity Guidelines (NIST SP 800-63-4) provide a baseline of trust and assurance that ties these technical standards together.
What does this mean for residents?
For residents, a mobile driver's license is easier to carry, harder to forge, and faster to use. Unlike a physical card, it supports selective disclosure, allowing you to prove you're over 21 without revealing your full birthdate or address. If lost or stolen, issuers can invalidate the credential (for example, through revocation or status mechanisms) and reissue it after re-verification, reducing the window for fraud.
The same digital credential infrastructure being built for driver's licenses can be extended to other government-issued documents, such as vehicle registrations, professional licenses, food handler permits, and beyond. What begins as a digital driver's license becomes the foundation for a broader ecosystem of trusted, privacy-preserving credentials.
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