PA Looks To Accelerate Mobile Driver's Licenses

HARRISBURG, PA — Lawmakers are hoping to advance a bill that would accelerate Pennsylvania's plans to provide digital driver's licenses. The idea has long been under consideration by the state and similar programs have already been adopted across the country.

The new legislation differs slightly in that it would not eliminate the driver's responisblity to have a hard copy of the license, but instead would just provide an additional way to provide identification. The bill calls for PennDOT to develop an app, which would charge a "reasonable" fee for downloading and renewing licenses.

"I view this as added protection for someone who may have unknowingly misplaced their license," State Rep. Dan Miller (D-Allegheny) wrote in a co-sponsorship memorandum. "It also embraces the reality that fewer and fewer people are carrying the traditional wallets or purses, and instead are relying on digital methods of payment that can occur safely through the use of their phones."

The new legislation is based directly on a Louisiana bill that was passed into law in 2016.Supporters compare the proposal to insurance providers who offer easily accessible and downloadable online insurance cards.

Mobile driver's licenses also offer enhanced security, as users can choose which unneeded sensitive personal information to withhold when presenting it.

The idea is already a reality, in some form, in 10 states. In the fall, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation confirmed they were "exploring the concept" of taking the significant step toward digitizing more of daily life.

“While we are in the early stages in Pennsylvania, we are excited for the future of an mDL for driver licensing and proof of identity as an option to serve the future needs of our residents," PennDOT REAL ID director Sarah Baker said in a statement.

PennDOT did not give the feature an exact timeline.

Driver's licenses are already available in the Apple Wallet in Colorado, Hawaii, Mississippi, Ohio, Georgia, Connecticut, Iowa, Kentucky, Oklahoma, and Utah, as well as Puerto Rico. It's not yet clear if the Pennsylvania license would also be an Apple Wallet feature, an app, or accessible on mobile devices in some other way.

It's the latest effort by the state to enhance the security of state identification cards. An initiative announced just weeks ago includes a redesign and improvement on all driver's licenses. A chief enhancement of the new cards is the "Guilloche security design," which embeds customized security patterning into the card. The cards will also have features that change apperance depending on the viewing angle, an enhancement called "optically variable ghost portrait." Certain parts of the card are only visible under ultraviolet light.

The new and proposed features are independent of the federal REAL ID requirement, which goes into effect May 7, 2025. Real IDs are not required in Pennsylvania, but driver's licenses must be REAL IDs by May 7, 2025 in order to be used as identification to board a flight. Passports remain valid for flights as well. For more information on Pennsylvania's REAL ID program and the latest delays, see here.