UK set to introduce digital driving licences

Digital driving licences are to beryllium introduced successful the UK arsenic the authorities looks to usage exertion to "transform nationalist services".

They volition beryllium accessed connected a caller authorities smartphone app and could beryllium accepted arsenic a signifier of ID erstwhile buying alcohol, voting, oregon boarding home flights.

Physical licences volition inactive beryllium issued, but ministers judge the voluntary integer enactment volition "drag authorities into the 2020s," according to The Times.

A authorities spokesperson told BBC News: "This authorities is committed to utilizing exertion to marque people's lives easier and alteration nationalist services.

"Technology present makes it imaginable for integer identities to beryllium much unafraid than carnal ones, but we stay wide that they volition not beryllium made mandatory."

The virtual licences could beryllium utilized astatine supermarket aforesaid checkouts, the Times said, allowing customers to verify their ain property without waiting for a subordinate of staff.

The caller integer licences volition beryllium introduced aboriginal this year, the paper reported.

A imaginable diagnostic could let users to fell their code successful definite situations, specified arsenic successful bars oregon shops.

There were much than 50 cardinal driving licence holders successful the UK successful 2023, according to government data.

The integer licences are apt to beryllium launched arsenic portion of a "wallet" wrong a caller authorities app called Gov.uk.

The wallet is understood to beryllium secured successful a akin mode to galore banking apps, and would lone let the genuine proprietor of a licence to entree it.

It volition usage features recovered connected galore smartphones, specified arsenic biometrics and multifactor authentication, similar information codes.

The authorities is said to beryllium considering integrating different services into the app, specified arsenic taxation payments and benefits claims.

Other forms of identification, specified arsenic nationalist security numbers, could besides beryllium added - but it is not thought carnal recognition volition beryllium replaced entirely.

The caller exertion stops abbreviated of becoming a wide integer ID paper – arsenic previously called for by Sir Tony Blair and Lord William Hague.

At the time, the caput of privateness run radical Big Brother Watch said specified a determination "would beryllium 1 of the biggest assaults connected privateness ever seen successful the UK".

In 2016, the then-boss of the UK's Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) said digital licences were being developed.

Virtual licences are already successful usage successful Australia, Denmark, Iceland and Norway, arsenic good arsenic immoderate US states.

In the European Union, each subordinate authorities is required to present astatine slightest 1 signifier of integer ID by 2026.