Last updated on March 21st, 2024 at 02:14 pm

As our world moves to an increasingly digital landscape, more and more of our daily items are shifting to being fully digital. Digital IDs are at the forefront of development for states and appmakers alike. It is estimated that at least 4.5 million Americans have already signed up for a digital ID, and that is only from the apps that have been fully released. The numbers will increase exponentially when multiple pilots are fully implemented, and more states pass legislation for mobile IDs. While digital IDs are becoming more and more popular, it begs the question, will police accept a digital ID?

There isn’t a yes or no answer to this question. Instead, at least until legislation is passed on a federal level, the answer varies on a state level. But which states even have digital IDs?

States with active digital IDs

• Arizona – Apple Wallet version
• Colorado – Apple Wallet version
• Delaware – state based app
• Florida – state based app
• Georgia – Apple Wallet version
• Iowa – state based app
• Louisiana – state based app
• Maryland – Apple Wallet version
• Mississippi – state based app
• *Oklahoma – state based app (temporarily suspended; see below)
• Utah – state based app

States with mobile IDs in pilots

• California
• Connecticut
• Hawaii
• Illinois
• Indiana
• Kentucky
• *Missouri (was active, but seems to have been pulled off app stores, see below)
• New York
• Virginia
• West Virginia

States with legislation for digital IDs

• Alabama
• Arkansas
• Michigan
• Minnesota
• New Jersey
• New Mexico
• North Carolina
• North Dakota
• Pennsylvania
• Puerto Rico
• Tennessee
• Texas
• Vermont
• Washington D.C.
• Wyoming

*Please note: Oklahoma’s OK Mobile ID app was live, but pulled it off the market for the time being because the Department of Justice found the app to be in violation of the ADA. 

*Missouri’s mDL app was also in pilot, but has been pulled for unknown reasons. However, some Reddit users claimed they got letters in the mail saying they were temporarily removing the service.

Where you can legally use your mobile ID

As previously mentioned, legality depends on your state, but some states, like Colorado, Iowa, and Utah have partnered with local businesses to encourage mDL adoption. The local DOT pages have even made special pages listing all the businesses that accept the digital IDs. These states make it clear on their websites that the digital ID can be used anywhere a physical ID can be used. Louisiana’s LA Wallet is another great example. While they don’t have a list of specific places the digital ID is accepted, it clearly states on their website that the ID format is accepted by Louisiana law enforcement and any government or retail location statewide, including the voting booth. 

Digital IDs at airports

From a more federal level, the TSA has enlisted quite a few airports in a pilot to accept digital IDs. Not all state digital IDs are currently being accepted in the pilot, but the states accepted are: Arizona, California, Colorado, Georgia, Iowa, Maryland, and Utah. The TSA has also included the full list of participating airports and the eligible ID type accepted for each state.

Do you still need a physical ID?

For most states, the fear of compliance and lack of clear legislation requires physical IDs to still be a necessity. Georgia for example has a digital ID version, however, the only place it is currently accepted is the Hartsfield-Jackson airport. For any law enforcement stops and when purchasing any age restricted product, individuals will still be required to show their physical ID. This is the case for many states, so when in doubt, it is always better to check the requirements for your specific state.

Does ID scanning still work with Digital IDs?

While we can’t speak to other identity verification providers, as long as the digital ID has a 2D (PDF417) barcode somewhere in the application, we can still scan the ID using both our VeriScan and ParseLink solutions. We also offer mobile ID acceptance in VeriScan for iOS, and are working to integrate mobile ID scanning into all our VeriScan products.

Accepting mobile IDs helps to mitigate risk when it comes to age restricted products and for some states, it might even work as an affirmative defense, but be sure to check your state’s legislation to confirm that.