Many Californians can add driver’s licenses to their phones. Here is the way
The California Department of Motor Vehicles, long associated with slow lines and bureaucracy – which did not kill the sloths of the Department of Motor Vehicles in Disney’s “Zootopia” – is expanding its digital services.
Last week, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill 169, which expands its mobile driver’s license verification program, allowing Californians to securely add their driver’s license or state ID to their smartphone.
Here’s how to add it to your phone and see what the program has to offer.
Why is California expanding its driver’s license program?
The expansion is the latest in Newsom’s effort to modernize government agencies including the DMV. Since expanding the agency’s online services, DMV officials say more than 90% of transactions can be done online. The organization has also introduced QR codes at its facilities, which it says have helped reduce customer wait times by around 40%. It also added digital signature barcodes to driver’s licenses and identification cards as an additional protection against identity fraud.
As part of that effort, the DMV is launching a mobile driver’s license verification program in 2023, allowing participants to store a digital version of their driver’s license or state ID in the DMV Wallet app as well as in Apple, Google and Samsung wallets.
Since then, about 3.9 million Californians have enrolled in the program, according to state data. The program initially reduced enrollment by 4.2 million.
In California, there are more than 35 million driver’s license and state tag holders, according to DMV data.
Newsom’s signing of the bill into law last week raises the program’s enrollment rate from 15% of California’s licensed drivers to 60% – making 21 million more eligible to participate.
Once that deadline is reached, no more drivers will be able to register, according to state officials.
The bill also authorizes other measures to modernize DMV operations and reduce costs, including eliminating some mailed notices, eliminating the requirement to print physical driver’s licenses and modernizing the way the department communicates with customers about renewals.
Does a portable driver’s license replace a physical driver’s license?
It doesn’t.
Despite the addition of digital license and identification cards to smartphones, the DMV still requires drivers to carry their physical cards while driving.
Officials say the pilot program is still new and most law enforcement, state government agencies and businesses have not yet adopted the digital versions.
Where can I use a portable driver’s license?
DMV officials said people enrolled in the mobile driver’s license program can show their digital licenses at select Transportation Security Administration checkpoints, including San Francisco International Airport and Los Angeles International Airport.
A list of participating airports can be found on the TSA website.
Mobile driver’s licenses can also be displayed at participating businesses – about 800 – and organizations that have learned electronically to scan digital licenses. You can also use an electronic ID for age-restricted purchases online.
According to DMV data, the cities with the most registrations include San Jose, San Francisco, San Diego, Sacramento and Irvine. DMV officials said the use of a mobile driver’s license or ID is not tracked, and no data is shared without a person’s consent.
How do I add a digital version of my driver’s license to my smartphone?
Californians with valid driver’s licenses or identification cards can enroll in the testing program. Eligible participants can add a driver’s license by downloading the DMV Wallet app or through the Apple, Google and Samsung wallet apps and following the instructions.
If you need help solving a problem or have other questions, visit the DMV’s Wallet webpage. The agency uploaded a YouTube video to its channel:
