HELENA — It’s the one thing most of us carry every day, but now your driver’s license might not be in your wallet at all, but rather on your smartphone.
“We find it is important to give all of our citizens options to move into the future,” said Laurie Bakri, the Montana Motor Vehicle Division administrator.
(Watch to learn more about Montana's digital driver's licenses)
Montana is joining a growing number of states embracing the digital age.
House Bill 519, passed in the 2023 legislature, requires the Montana Motor Vehicle Division to offer a Mobile ID option.
As of Tuesday, Montanans are now able to download a secure digital version of their driver’s license onto their smartphones through verification with the Montana MVD and then add it to either their Apple or Google Wallet.
Bakri says, “It is convenient for citizens, it is an option for citizens, it is safe and secure, so if you lose your license, you have got one on your phone.”
That convenience is something Montanans are excited about.
“I think the travel aspect is where, for me, it would be most convenient,” Kristine Kelly-Coburn, a resident of Montana, said about registering for a digital license.
Currently, mobile IDs are accepted at MVD exam stations equipped with a check-in kiosk and more than 250 TSA airports across the country.
But don’t toss out your physical license because “Physical license will never go away, and we actually want you to right now carry your physical license with you because not all establishments accept mobile ID,” noted Bakri.
To support additional acceptance, MVD is also launching a tool businesses can use to accept mobile IDs in Montana: the Montana Mobile ID Verifier app.
The app can be downloaded to either an Android or an iPhone, and allows businesses to verify the age of a mobile ID holder.
Montana's digital license is optional and free to download for all licensed drivers.
You can visit this website to register for a digital driver’s license and for further information.
