Digital driving licence coming this year
Source: gov.uk (2025-01-21)

The UK government is launching a GOV.UK Wallet and App to simplify access to services and documents like digital driver’s licences, alongside reforms to public sector technology to save £45 billion and drive efficiency and growth.

- A GOV.UK Wallet will see government-issued documents available on your phone, starting with a Veteran Card and an early version of digital driver’s licence later this year
- Coming this summer, a new GOV.UK (https://www.gov.uk/) App will make using government services - like applying for childcare or reporting a lost passport – far easier and in tune with modern life
- New tools come alongside a shakeup to how the public sector will build, use and fund technology projects, following a report identifying £45 billion in efficiency savings and plan to use tech in public sector to turbocharge growth and deliver our Plan for Change (https://www.gov.uk/missions)
Brits will be given the option to use a digital version of their driver’s licence from their phone to easily prove their age when buying age restricted items online and in person – as well as proving their right to drive.

A mobile driver’s licence will be one of the first digital documents in a GOV.UK (https://www.gov.uk/) Wallet launched later this year and will ultimately allow people to prove their age from their phone in shops or online, the Science Secretary Peter Kyle announced today.

It comes alongside other new and improved ways for people to interact with government digitally, with an expansive blueprint (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/a-blueprint-for-modern-digital-government/a-blueprint-for-modern-digital-government-html) for how the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT), which will now be home to a revamped Government Digital Service (GDS), will use digital tools and data to transform public services and help the taxpayer benefit from £45 billion in efficiency savings – essential to delivering our Plan for Change.

The GOV.UK Wallet will allow users to securely store government-issued documents on their phone and use them easily when needed. The technology will make use of security features that are built into modern smart phones, including facial recognition checks similar to those used when people pay using a digital bank card. It means that digital documents will be more secure, even if a device is lost.

Showcasing the tool earlier today, the Science Secretary set out that by the end of 2027, the GOV.UK Wallet will include documents like Veteran Cards, DBS checks and every other credential issued by the government – for those who choose to use them, while traditional physical documents will remain available.

It comes alongside a planned summer 2025 launch of a GOV.UK App designed to make it even simpler for people to navigate the GOV.UK website, access government information and complete essential tasks from their phone. Crucially, the new GOV.UK App will remember users’ activity to offer a more convenient, and personalised experience of interacting with government, with future additions also set to include an AI-powered chatbot, GOV.UK Chat, ways to make payments and receive timely notifications and reminders about services that matter to them.

Science Secretary Peter Kyle 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.

For people who choose to use GOV.UK Wallet, they will find it easier to prove they’re entitled to benefits or check their age when buying alcohol or DIY equipment, with more security and trust than ever before. Crucially, it also opens huge opportunities to make interacting with public services much easier by putting people in control of their own data.

We will be overhauling how the public sector uses technology which is essential to delivering our Plan for Change, and in combination with this new tech for people to use themselves, we are going to slash the time people waste dealing with annoying processes so they can focus on what matters to them.

GOV.UK Wallet

Digital documents held in the GOV.UK Wallet, like a driver’s licence or someone’s proof of benefits, will be able to be used just as physical documents are, if people choose to.

It will be available on iOS and Android, with a Digital Veteran Card to be made available to former service personnel later this year. A mobile driver’s licence will be piloted later in 2025, and all government services will have to offer a digital alternative alongside paper or card credentials by the end of 2027 under plans set out by the blueprint for digital government (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/a-blueprint-for-modern-digital-government/a-blueprint-for-modern-digital-government-html).

The GOV.UK Wallet will allow digital credentials to be accessed immediately after successful application, rather than waiting for them to arrive in the post, and avoid valuable documents being lost in house moves or behind filing cabinets.

The GOV.UK Wallet is underpinned by the security and identity verification measures of GOV.UK One Login, meaning users can be assured documents can only be accessed by the right person. Using a single sign on also means accessing government services will be much more straightforward, saving individuals and businesses money and hours of frustration so they can focus on what matters.

Transport Secretary, Heidi Alexander said:

This is a game changer for the millions of people who use their driving licence as ID.

The innovation puts power back in the hands of the people, making everyday interactions faster, easier, and more secure. We are delivering on the Plan for Change by making public services work for everyone.

Minister for Veterans and People Alistair Carns DSO OBE MC MP said:

It is fantastic that former service personnel will become the first citizens to access the government’s new digital wallet. Having access to their HM Armed Forces Veteran Card via their smartphone, will help make it even easier for them to verify their veteran status, and access the support and benefits they’re entitled to.

This is a government committed to delivering for all those who serve and have served. We’re turning words into action to improve life for every veteran.

GOV.UK App

People using the GOV.UK App will be able to quickly manage all of their government activity in one place.

When people first open the government’s new app this summer, they will be able to build a personalised homepage of the services most useful to them by answering a handful of simple questions - for example, if you own a car you can opt to see information about getting an MOT or applying for road tax - brought to them by a brand they already know and trust, GOV.UK.

With GOV.UK One Login integrated into the app, people will be able to quickly confirm who they are so they can securely interact with services. In future, this will mean users can instantly cancel a stolen passport, find an apprenticeship or apply for benefits from the GOV.UK App.

Notifications will also provide people with instant and timely alerts, for example an update on the status of their application, or a new policy or service relevant to them - in a move that is expected to significantly cut down on the three million text messages sent by the government every day which comes with a significant cost to the public sector.

The government’s generative AI chatbot, GOV.UK Chat may in future be added to the app to help people find answers to complex and niche questions, where the relevant information could be spread over dozens of pages.

Piloted in December 2024 with 10,000 real business users, GOV.UK Chat responded to almost 24,000 questions - giving relevant answers in 90% of cases, and effectively detecting and thwarting 100% of the attempts to break, or manipulate the tool. Questions fielded included whether Christmas parties were tax exempt, with follow-ups used to clarify the specific circumstances for the exemption.

As a result of the successful trial, plans are being made for GOV.UK Chat to soon enter a further stage of wider, public testing.

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