Our whole lives are on our phones these days. Our bank cards, calendars, train tickets, gig passes, hospital appointments — you name it, you can probably download an app for it. Except, that is, for ID. If you go out without a physical ID and get stopped at the door of a club, that’s it. Night over.
But in absolutely gamechanging news for that one member of the friend group who always gets caught out, UK citizens will soon be able to use their ID on their smartphone instead.
Kept on a government app, that could include your passport, driving license, universal credit account or marriage and birth certificates. You’ll even be able to present it at a supermarket self-checkout without needing to wait for a staff member.
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Peter Kyle, the UK’s science secretary, said: ‘Along with CDs, the Walkman and flip phones, the overflowing drawer rammed with letters from the government and hours spent on hold to get a basic appointment will soon be consigned to history. GOV.UK Wallet will mean that every letter or identity document you receive from the government could be issued to you virtually.’
When will digital driving licenses and passports become available?
The GOV.UK App, which includes the GOV.UK Wallet, is being launched in June, though we don’t have an exact date yet.
To begin with, a driver’s licence will be the only digitally available document. The rest will be rolled out later on. By 2027, it’s hoped that the wallet will also include documents like veteran cards, DBS checks and every other credential issued by the government.
Who will be eligible?
As far as we can tell, everyone who owns a form of UK identification will be eligible for the app.
How do I download the app?
Once launched, the GOV.UK App will be available on both iOS and Android. It will include security features that are found on smartphones anyway, such as fingerprint and facial recognition.
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