There are few things worse than leaving your house without your wallet. With more than 30 states taking steps to implement digital driver’s licenses (mDLs) accessible from your smartphone, the hassle of forgetting your license will soon be a thing of the past. But in order to verify and store your identity digitally, you must have an app on your smartphone.  

Which states currently offer a mobile driver’s license (mDL)

Several states have created proprietary applications by local developers or global technology companies such as Thales. However, many are working with Apple to integrate IDs into Apple Wallet. You can view our full library of mobile driver’s license data by state on our mDL Library site.

Apple Wallet Mobile Driver’s Licenses (mDLs)

Currently, four states offer Apple Wallet integration for mobile driver’s licenses (mDLs) – Arizona, Maryland, Georgia, and Colorado.

Iowa, Kentucky, Utah, and New York have announced plans to integrate their licenses via Apple Wallet.

To use the Apple Wallet app, you need an iPhone 8 or newer, and an Apple Watch Series 4 or newer. You must also have the latest iOS versions downloaded for both your phone and your watch, two-factor authentication must be on, and you must be signed in with your Apple ID with your location set. 

During the setup process, you will be prompted to follow these steps:

1. Scan your physical driver’s license or state ID card.
2. Complete a series of facial and head movements. Apple’s mDL process will instruct the user to turn their head and open their mouth as part of their liveness check.
3. The information will be submitted to the state DMV for confirmation. This process can take several days.
4. If the state DMV cannot verify you digitally, they will send a physical post card to your mailing address with a code to verify your identity. This process can take 7-10 days.
5. The user will enter the custom code into an in-browser verification site to complete the process.

After you’ve downloaded the app and set up your account, the issuing state will verify the ID. Once the ID has been verified, it will be added to your Apple Wallet.

Apple Wallet mDLs use near field communication (NFC) protocols to send specific information for identity verification. A biometric tracker (either fingerprint or face-match) is required to open the ID.

State-Sponsored Or Custom-Built Applications

Several states offer their own apps to store your digital driver’s licenses.  

Arizona, Delaware, Oklahoma, and Mississippi use the same app, mID.

To install mID for these states:

1. Download and launch the app from the Apple app store or Google Play.
2. Register your phone number.
3. Scan your ID.
4. Take a selfie.
5. Set up security, and you’re good to go!

Louisiana and Colorado have developed their own apps. The process for setting-up your mDL differs depending on the state.

• Louisiana: Download the LA Wallet app from Google Play or Apple.
  • Sign in or create an account.
  • Select “Add License.” 
  • Enter your license information and select “Add License” again.
  • The state auto-populates a photo of the front and back of your driver’s license.
  • Vaccine cards, Concealed Handgun Permits, and Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Licenses can also be stored in the LA Wallet app.

• Colorado: myColorado is the state of Colorado’s official mobile app. It is currently not compatible with other electronic wallets, including but not limited to Apple, Google, and Samsung.
  • Download the myColorado app from the iPhone app store or Google Play Store.
  • Create an account and give myColorado access to your camera. 
  • Scan the back of your Colorado driver’s license or state ID. 
  • Create a username and password. 
  • Enable Touch/Face ID to log in quickly. 
  • Tap Login, and enter your username and password.  Allow notifications to stay up-to-date. 
  • To create your Colorado Digital ID, tap CO Digital ID.

Colorado recently added mDLs via Apple Wallet, so the future of their MyColorado app is unclear.

Florida has partnered with identity verification firm Thales to create the Florida SmartID application; however, there have been questions around adoption of the ID as state agencies such as the police say that they do not accept the ID inside the Florida Smart Wallet app.

Key Trends in Digital Driver’s Licenses

While it’s still too early to leave your physical ID at home, the trend toward mDLs is ramping up. Just three years after the launch of the LA Wallet, more than 30% of Louisiana adults have downloaded and installed the application. TSA checkpoints at more than 20 airports accept mDLs from the Apple Wallet for airport access.

Preparing for the inevitability of mDLs is critical and includes the ability to scan any state ID, digital or physical. Contact one of our experts to ensure your business is ready for the wave of mobile IDs.