The California Department of Motor Vehicles, long synonymous with slow lines and bureaucracy — immortalized by the sloths of the Department of Mammal Vehicles in Disney’s “Zootopia” — is expanding its digital services.
Last week, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill 169, expanding its mobile driver’s license pilot program, which allows Californians to securely add their driver’s license or state identification card to their smartphones.
Here’s how you can add it to your phone and a look at what the program offers.
Why is California expanding its mobile driver’s license pilot program?
The expansion is the latest in Newsom’s effort to modernize state agencies including the DMV. Since expanding the agency’s online services, DMV officials say more than 90% of transactions can be done online. The agency also has introduced QR codes at its facilities, which it said helped reduce customer wait times by nearly 40%. It also added digital signature barcodes on driver’s licenses and identification cards as an added safeguard against identity fraud.
As part of that effort, the DMV launched the mobile driver’s license pilot 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 limited enrollment to 4.2 million.
In California, there are more than 35 million driver’s license and state identification holders, according to DMV data.
Newsom’s signing of the bill into law last week raises the enrollment cap for the program from 15% of California’s licensed drivers to 60% — making as many as 21 million Californian’s eligible to participate.
Once that cap is reached, no additional drivers will be able to enroll, according to state officials.
The bill also authorizes other measures to modernize DMV operations and cut costs, including eliminating some mailed notices, ending the requirement to print physical driver handbooks and modernizing how the department communicates with customers about renewals.
Does a mobile driver’s license replace a physical driver’s license?
It does not.
Despite the addition of digital licenses and identification cards on smartphones, the DMV still requires drivers to carry their physical cards while driving.
Officials say the pilot program is still relatively new and most law enforcement, state government agencies and businesses are not accepting the digital versions yet.
Where can I use the mobile driver 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 at San Francisco International Airport and Los Angeles International Airport.
A list of participating airports can be found on the TSA website.
The mobile driver’s licenses also can be shown at participating businesses — about 800 — and organizations that have electronic readers to scan the digital licenses. You can also use the electronic ID for age-restricted purchases online.
According to DMV data, the cities with the highest enrollment include San Jose, San Francisco, San Diego, Sacramento and Irvine. DMV officials said usage of the mobile driver’s license or ID card is not tracked, and no data are shared without a person’s consent.
How do I add a digital version of a driver’s license to my smartphone?
Californians with a valid driver’s license or identification cards can enroll in the pilot program. Eligible participants can add a driver’s license by downloading the DMV Wallet app or through Apple, Google and Samsung wallet apps and following the prompts.
If you need help troubleshooting a problem or have other questions, go to the DMV’s Wallet webpage. The agency uploaded a YouTube video on its channel:
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