Digital driving licences to arrive on smartphones by 2018

UK motorists will be able to access a digital version of their driving licence on their smartphones by next year, according to new reports.

The phone-based licences will be used in addition to the current plastic versions, rather than replacing them.

A limited test of the digi-licence will begin in September, and will then be rolled out to all drivers by April 2018, reports The Sun.

The news comes after a government medial advisor said that doctors should be obliged to tell the DVLA when patients are no longer fit to drive.

The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) first revealed last year that it was working on the techie update for UK drivers.

In May 2016, DVLA CEO Oliver Morley tweeted an image of an early version of the licence.

The digital licence is pictured in the iPhone’s Wallet app, where bank card details are stored for Apple Pay payments alongside electronically readable boarding passes and event tickets.

“During 2017-18 we will be developing a quick, easy and secure service to allow customers to view a representation of their driving licence on their smartphone,” says a new DVLA business plan for 2017-2018.

“The driver will be in control of their data and this can be used to share and validate driver information with trusted third parties through a secure website.

“This service will not replace the full driving licence.

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“The digital licence service will only be available to driving licence holders who have authenticated themselves on GOV.UK Verify through the existing View Driving Licence service.

“This service will be available 24/7 or, wherever the driver has a web connection”.

The DVLA has already scrapped the the paper part of the current licence.