In a move the government says will “transform public services”, digital driving licences are to be introduced in 2025, according to The Times newspaper.

Going digital will allow you to present your driving licence if stopped, say, by the police without the need to carry your physical card with you everywhere (though, remember, you legally don’t have to carry your existing licence on you).

It also means any chance of losing or damaging your physical driving licence when out and about will become a thing of the past.

And considering that at least one million of us either lose or have our driving licences stolen each year – collectively costing us £20.3 million to replace them – going digital appears to be a smart move.

“This government is committed to using technology to make people’s lives easier and transform public services.”

• Government spokesperson to the BBC

Bonus benefits

The benefits don’t stop there, claims the government. For example, you will be able to use your digital driving licence:

  • At self checkouts to verify your age if buying alcohol.
  • In a pubs and bars when ordering drinks
  • At the airpot for travelling on domestic flights
  • At the polling stations to verify your identity.

“There are clearly some benefits of having a digital licence, especially if you are pulled over by the police and need to show your documents.”

• Jack Cousens, Head of Roads Policy, the AA

Personal choice

Adopting a digital driving licence will be voluntary, meaning the 34,000,000 of us who have a full or a provisional driving licence won’t need to sign up for one overnight.

This will be welcome news for privacy campaigners as, if digital transitioning was made compulsory, your driving licence would in effect become a full UK identity card, a concept that many have campaigned against over the years.

Understandably, you may also be concerned about someone such as shop staff or bouncers being able to view your full details – including your home address – when being asked for ID but an option to hide sensitive information is being considered by the engineers designing the licence.

“Technology now makes it possible for digital identities to be more secure than physical ones, but we remain clear that they will not be made mandatory.”

• Government spokesperson

How they work

Your digital driving licence will be stored in a new smartphone app called Gov.uk (acting much like Apple or Google’s wallets) and be protected by your phone’s existing security features such as facial recognition, fingerprint and/or passcode.

So, if you need to access your licence, you’ll simply boot up the app, use your face or finger to verify it’s you and your licence details will appear onscreen.

The government is also considering introducing more services into the app including benefit claims and tax payments as well as your national insurance number.

Status quo

Digital driving licences are nothing new with similar schemes already in place in other parts of the world, for instance, in Norway, Denmark, Iceland and Australia as well as in some states in the US. The EU is also making it mandatory for member states to create a form of official identity by 2026.

In other words, the Western world is slowly but surely embracing digital IDs in one form or another – whether we like it or not.

Know Your Code

Main image by senivpetro on Freepik