To get a digital driver’s license, check whether your state issues one, then install the approved wallet or state app, scan your physical license, complete a selfie liveness check, and authenticate with your phone’s biometrics. Setup takes about five to ten minutes if everything lines up. The digital credential, often called a mobile driver’s license or mDL, is a voluntary companion to your plastic card, not a replacement for it.1Transportation Security Administration. Participating States and Eligible Digital IDs
Check Whether Your State Offers One
This is the first thing to confirm, because if your state hasn’t launched a program, none of the rest applies. As of mid-2025, roughly two dozen states and territories have active mDL programs, including Arizona, California, Colorado, Georgia, Iowa, Louisiana, Maryland, New York, Utah, and Virginia, among others. More states are expected to come online through 2026.1Transportation Security Administration. Participating States and Eligible Digital IDs
The TSA keeps a current list of participating states and shows which platform each state supports. Some states use Apple Wallet, Google Wallet, or Samsung Wallet. Others run their own dedicated app, like Louisiana’s LA Wallet or New York’s NY MiD. A few support both. Your state’s option is set for you; you don’t get to pick the ecosystem.1Transportation Security Administration. Participating States and Eligible Digital IDs
What You Need Before You Start
You need a current, unexpired physical driver’s license or state ID. If your license is suspended, revoked, or canceled, you can’t enroll until that’s resolved. If you’ve moved or changed your name since your last renewal, update your DMV records first, because the mDL is generated from what the state already has on file.
For airport use, the underlying license must be REAL ID-compliant or an enhanced driver’s license.2Transportation Security Administration. REAL ID Mobile Driver’s Licenses (mDLs) The REAL ID Act of 2005 set minimum federal standards for state IDs, and REAL ID-compliant cards carry a star or similar marking in the corner.3Department of Homeland Security. REAL ID Act If your card doesn’t have that marking, you may still be able to enroll for non-TSA purposes depending on your state’s rules, but the mDL won’t work at airport checkpoints.
You also need a compatible phone. Apple Wallet enrollment generally requires an iPhone XS or later on a recent version of iOS.4Apple. Add Your Driver’s License to Apple Wallet Google Wallet and Samsung Wallet each require a recent compatible Android device. Age eligibility follows your state’s normal licensing rules, and most programs are limited to adults, though minimums vary.
Set Up the Digital License
Install the Right App
If your state supports a phone wallet, open the wallet that came with your device and look for the option to add an ID. If your state uses its own app, search the app store for it by name. Watch the publisher carefully. Fake identity apps exist, and handing your license photo and personal data to one would be a real problem. Confirm the publisher is your state’s motor vehicle authority or the wallet provider itself, and check for a verified badge in the listing.
Scan Your Physical License
The app will prompt you to photograph the front and back of your card. Lay it flat on a dark surface with good lighting. The scan reads the barcode and printed data and matches it against state records.5National Institute of Standards and Technology. NIST 800-63A Profile for mDL Issuance You usually won’t need any documents beyond the physical card itself.
Complete the Selfie Liveness Check
Next the app captures a short selfie video and asks you to turn your head or blink. The point is to confirm you’re a real person, present in the moment, and not someone submitting a stolen license with a static photo. For a clean pass on the first try:
- Use indoor lighting that hits your face evenly.
- Stand in front of a plain background.
- Hold the phone steady at eye level.
- Take off hats, sunglasses, and anything covering your face.
Authenticate With Biometrics
The last enrollment step ties the credential to your phone’s biometric lock. On iPhone that’s Face ID or Touch ID; on Android it’s the equivalent fingerprint or face unlock.4Apple. Add Your Driver’s License to Apple Wallet This is what keeps someone who grabs your unlocked phone from presenting the mDL as their own. You generally don’t set a separate PIN for the credential, because the app relies on your device’s existing security.
Wait for Approval
The app encrypts your submission and sends it to the state motor vehicle authority. Approval is often instant, but some states run a manual review that takes a few business days. When it clears, you’ll get a notification, and the credential appears in your wallet or state app with your photo, license information, and a rotating security element that proves it hasn’t been tampered with.
What It Costs
Most states currently issue the mDL at no charge, especially when you add it to Apple Wallet, Google Wallet, or Samsung Wallet. A few state-run apps charge a small annual fee after an initial free period. Plan on paying nothing in most states, or a few dollars a year at most.
Where the Digital License Actually Works
Acceptance is uneven, and this is the part that surprises people. Treat the mDL as useful where it’s supported, not as a universal stand-in for your card.
TSA airport checkpoints. This is the most reliable use. Participating mDLs are accepted at more than 250 TSA checkpoints. You hold your phone near the reader, review what’s being requested on your screen, and confirm. You never hand the phone to the officer. Even so, TSA tells travelers to carry a physical ID as backup.2Transportation Security Administration. REAL ID Mobile Driver’s Licenses (mDLs)
Age-restricted purchases. Some states have authorized retailers selling alcohol and tobacco to accept mDLs through compliant reader devices. A screenshot doesn’t count. Coverage is growing but far from universal, and many stores and bars simply haven’t bought reader hardware.
Traffic stops. Inconsistent. Some agencies accept mDLs, many don’t, and officer equipment varies. Even in states with active programs, agencies sometimes instruct officers to work from the physical card. Don’t assume the mDL will satisfy an officer.
Banks, notaries, government offices. Early days. Acceptance is spotty and shouldn’t be counted on.
Keep Carrying Your Physical License
Your mDL is not a legal replacement for your plastic card in most states, and many states still require by law that you carry the physical license while driving. Producing only a phone during a traffic stop can result in a citation even if the digital credential is valid. Phones also break, batteries die, apps crash, and readers malfunction. A card in your wallet works through all of that. The mDL is a faster, more private option in supported settings, but it doesn’t retire the physical one.
If Your Phone Is Lost or Stolen
The mDL is locked behind your phone’s biometrics, so a thief who can’t get past Face ID or your fingerprint can’t present it. Still, move quickly:
- Use Find My (Apple) or Find My Device (Android) to remotely erase the phone, which removes the wallet contents along with everything else.6Apple. Remove Your ID Cards From Apple Wallet
- Notify your state’s motor vehicle authority so the digital credential can be revoked on their end.
- Use your physical license in the meantime; it stays valid regardless of what happened to the phone.
Once you have a replacement phone, repeat the enrollment process to issue a new credential. The old one on the lost device is already invalidated.
Renewal and Expiration
The mDL is tied to the underlying physical license, so when the physical card expires, the digital version expires with it. After you renew the plastic card, some states push an automatic update to the digital credential and others require you to delete and re-add it. Check with your state’s motor vehicle authority around renewal so you don’t end up carrying an expired digital ID without realizing it.