UK Driving License Update is Scheduled for This Summer: Here’s What’s Changing: 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. Forgetting your driving licence is on course to arrive this year; This is Money can confirm.
UK Driving License Update is Scheduled for This Summer
The major update is part of a new “GOV.UK Wallet and App” that will prove your right to drive, your age, and access to key government documents, but don’t panic if you want to stick with plastic because physical IDs will still be valid.
The digitalization reforms aim to improve ways for people to interact with the government digitally and help push towards efficiency savings targets of £45 billion.
A mobile driver’s license will be one of the first digital documents in a 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 it today.
When are digital driving licenses coming? Is it compulsory?
A Department for Science, Innovation, and Technology spokesman confirmed to This is Money that a digital driving license will arrive later this year.
The GOV.UK Wallet will be launched this summer, with the first credential being a digital veteran card. Later in the year, we plan to begin rolling out a digital driving licence, which will eventually be usable for everything your paper license is currently used for.
We are working closely with DVLA and industry to meet this timeline. DSIT also confirmed to us that digital driving licenses won’t be compulsory. There are no plans to make the GOV.UK Wallet or digitized documents mandatory, and physical documents will remain an option for those who prefer them, the spokesperson clarified.
What is a digital license?
A digital driving licence is a free electronic version of your driving licence that is accessible via an app on your smartphone. It’s accessed through the government’s online wallet app and will be compatible with both iOS and Android.
How does it work
You will be able to check renewals, your driving record, and endorsements on the app too. The app will use two-factor security checks already built into modern smartphones, like facial recognition, to make sure documents are secure and are only accessed by the right person. The app will also remember user activity, so you will have a more convenient and personalized experience, and in the future there will also be an AI-powered chatbot, GOV.UK Chat, to help with services and payments.
What’s Changing in UK Digital Licenses
That said, a driver’s license is not just another app; it is a key part of our identity. Our data shows that a lot of people still don’t know much about the government-proposed changes. The Veteran Card, proof that a person has served in the armed forces, will be the first digital document to be issued, followed by the digital driving license.
However, science secretary Peter Kyle has set out plans for the GOV.UK wallet to also include DBS checks and every other credential issued by the government by the end of 2027. Again, these are only for those who choose to use them, and traditional physical documents will remain available for those who wish to continue to use them.
A mobile driver’s license 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. The new GOV.UK app will remember user activity to offer a more convenient and personalized experience of interacting with government, with future additions also set to include an AI-powered chatbot, GOV.UK Chat, ways to make payments, and timely notifications and reminders about services.
Conclusion
In this article we discussed the UK Driving License Update Scheduled for This Summer. Here’s What’s Changing: The UK government is launching a Gov.UK Wallet and app to simplify access to services and documents like digital driver’s licenses. A mobile driver’s license will be one of the first digital documents in a Gov.UK Wallet launched later this year.