Digital driving licences are to be introduced in the UK as the government looks to use technology to “transform public services”. They will be accessed on a new government smartphone app and could be accepted as a form of ID when buying alcohol, voting, or boarding domestic flights. Physical licences will still be issued, but ministers believe the voluntary digital option will “drag government into the 2020s”.
Technology now makes it possible for digital identities to be more secure than physical ones, but we remain clear that they will not be made mandatory. The virtual licences could be used at supermarket self-checkouts, allowing customers to verify their own age without waiting for a member of staff.
The new digital licences will be introduced later this year, the newspaper reported. A possible feature could allow users to hide their address in certain situations, such as in bars or shops. There were more than 50 million driving licence holders in the UK in 2023, according to government data.
The digital licences are likely to be launched as part of a “wallet” within a new government app called Gov.uk. The wallet is understood to be secured in a similar way to many banking apps, and would only allow the genuine owner of a licence to access it. It will use features found on many smartphones, such as biometrics and multifactor authentication, like security codes.
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