Ca Mobile Driver's License Provides Secure Id Verification For Government And Business

Ajay Gupta, California DMV Chief Digital Transformation Officer, State of California

Are physical driver’s licenses on the road to extinction? Maybe not in the immediate future, but the California Department of Motor Vehicles is paving the way to use the new CA DMV Wallet and mobile driver’s license (mDL) license in new and exciting ways that replace the need for a physical card.

The DMV is actively mapping out a course that transforms the way government agencies and businesses can use the mDL to securely verify a person’s identity, age or address. The DMV sees the mDL as an emerging and valuable tool that can reduce identity fraud and improve in-person, mobile and web-based transactions.

With the instant and authoritative validation of a person’s information, the mDL can be used to access secure locations, obtain state benefits, open bank accounts, and even conduct online transactions without providing a username and password.

How is this accomplished? For the customer, the mDL allows for quick identification through the use of a single-use QR code to present to establishments. For business, the digital app offers an identity Reader that can be activated right on your phone. There is no need to purchase any additional equipment. With the Reader, you simply scan the QR code that appears on a person’s mobile device to get verification.

Today, we do manual identity verification, or we pay third-party providers to help verify each transaction. If we have decentralized digital identity like a mobile driver’s license and a trusted source of information, it’s near zero cost for identify verification.

It is important to note that the device used to check an mDL does not connect to the DMV, keep a digital trail of a person’s purchases, travel dates, nor stores personal information. Usage is not tracked and no data leaves a person’s device without their consent.

Security is the top priority. The mDL requires strong device security to access a mobile driver’s license. If someone finds your driver’s license on the ground, they have access to your personal identifying information. But if someone finds your smartphone, they will likely need to break through device security (a passcode or a face scan) to gain access. In addition, you’ll be able to request to disable or opt out of the mDL via the DMV website at any time, and we can quickly disable the mDL.

"This new capacity for government agencies and businesses to accept the mDL will enable many new benefits, including enhanced user convenience, fraud prevention, and cost savings while delivering a secure and convenient user experience"

We wanted to test the performance of the new mDL, so a pilot program was launched in August 2023. The department teamed up with the U.S. Transportation Security Administration and United Airlines to monitor passenger usage at airport checkpoints between San Francisco and Los Angeles International Airports. It is expected that sometime this summer, most of the major California airports (20) will begin accepting the mDL, as well as digital licenses from other states. We have also been working with point of sale (POS) vendors nationally and select retailers in California to accept CA DMV Wallet credentials to verify age for age-restricted products.

The California Legislature approved 1.5 Californians to participate in the pilot program, but we are hoping lawmakers will expand that number, as the DMV develops more ways to use the mDL.

We are working with the Health and Human Services Agency, California Office of Emergency Services and FEMA to allow for instant issuance of an mDL without an identification card and facilitate access to benefits on the spot for disaster recovery. Something similar may work for the unhoused.

This new capacity for government agencies and businesses to accept the mDL will enable many new benefits that include enhanced user convenience, fraud prevention, and cost savings while delivering a secure and convenient user experience. This safe digital alternative is the right choice.