The UK government has revealed plans to introduce digital driving licences later this year – a move that will affect tens of millions of Brits.
Licence holders will be able to use their digital licence as proof of their identity when the GOV.UK app launches this summer.
The digital form of identification will be accepted as ID when voting, buying alcohol and when boarding domestic flights.
Physical licences will still be issued, but ministers believe the voluntary digital option will “drag government into the 2020s.”
Plans for this new app and scheme were officially announced by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology on Tuesday.
A government spokesperson told BBC News: “This government is committed to using technology to make people’s lives easier and transform public services.
“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.”
The digital licence would live in a virtual wallet on the government app rather than being added to a Google or Apple wallets. Engineers are also looking into options for users to temporarily hide their address details from staff in shops or bouncers, The Times reports.
One interesting feature of the new technology could be that supermarkets may link its self-checkout technology with the digital licence – meaning customers can scan to prove their age rather than standing around waiting for a staff member to approve it.
The government is said to be considering integrating other services into the app, such as tax payments and benefits claims.
Other forms of identification, such as national insurance numbers, could also be added.
According to government data, around 50,000,000 people in the UK have a full or a provisional driving licence.
All drivers must have a correct and valid driving licence before getting behind the wheel. And of course, motorists must meet the minimum age for doing so as well as meet the eyesight rules.
Drivers don’t need to have their licence in their pocket when on the road, but if stopped by an officer, they must take them to a police station within seven days.
Related: Irresponsible cyclists ‘face penalty points on their driving license’