The UK government is launching a digital ID mobile app

The UK government is going to launch an app that will allow citizens to digitize their driver’s licenses. Science Secretary Peter Kyle announced on Tuesday that the GOV.UK Wallet launching for Android and iOS devices later this year will let users securely store government-issued documents on their phone, allowing them to be accessed immediately instead of waiting for physical versions to arrive in the mail.

The wallet will utilize smartphone security features like facial recognition to help protect users’ personal data. Veteran cards for former military personnel will be the first documents supported, followed by a pilot for mobile driver’s licenses “later in 2025.” All UK government services that provide paper or card credentials will be expected to offer a digital alternative by 2027. Traditional physical documents will still be available.

“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,” Kyle said in the announcement. “GOV.UK Wallet will mean that every letter or identity document you receive from the government could be issued to you virtually.”

According to Kyle, the new digital wallet app is intended to give UK citizens more control over their own data, making it easier to prove eligibility for welfare benefits and purchase age-restricted products in stores. People in the UK are currently required to present physical identity documents (if assumed to be underage) when clubbing or purchasing alcohol, running the risk of having them lost or stolen.

The UK is also launching a new GOV.UK app in summer 2025 that will allow users to access government information, and, eventually, complete tasks like canceling stolen passports and applying for welfare benefits from their phones.

There are also plans to add an AI-powered chatbot, imaginatively called “GOV.UK Chat,” to the app, which TechCrunch reports was co-developed by OpenAI, and to add “ways to make payments and receive timely notifications” for government services.