New Zealand plans to introduce mDLs, eventually

New Zealand’s land transport management agency Waka Kotahi says it is working to introduce a mobile driver’s license (mDL) which users will carry on their smartphones. Meanwhile, HID Global has been showcasing its mDL solutions at the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators (AAMVA) Annual International Conference (AIC) taking place from 13-15 September in Baltimore, Maryland.

Waka Kotahi mulls mDLs

The New Zealand transport management authority says it is studying the legislative and operational possibilities of introducing a digital driver’s license, RNZ reports.

Responding to an Official Information Act request from the outlet, the agency said although the plan is still at a nascent stage, it will certainly require some policy and regulatory changes. A team is said to be already working on this, Waka Kotahi chief digital officer Liz Maguire told RNZ.

“Having easy access to your driver license on your smartphone means it’s always on hand when you need it,” reads part of a policy paper of the agency’s digital strategy, as quoted.

The move to introduce mDLs is part of the country’s wider digital ID ecosystem plans, states an internal email obtained by RNZ.

Many other countries as well as states in the U.S. are increasingly adopting mDLs. They have also been debates around the difficulties in implementing mDL ecosystems.

HID Global takes mDL solution to AAMVA conference

From 13-15 September, HID Global’s team displayed products at the AAMVA conference, including its mDLs for mobile wallets. It also showcased its award-winning, multi-layered anti-counterfeiting design strategies for ID cards.

The company spoke to members of the motor vehicle and law enforcement community on how to get the most from solutions for creating, issuing, and managing government credentials.

Speaking ahead of the event, Kathryn Alsbrooks, director of government ID solutions at HID Global said: “A growing number of U.S. states are piloting and navigating the hurdles to launching mobile driver’s licenses, and we will be sharing how our solutions meet the ten essential requirements for their development.

“We also will be exhibiting customer collaborations and innovative engineering behind our award-winning solutions, which for more than two decades has proved the critical importance of multi-layered security for ensuring that these ID cards are fraud resistant.”

HID Global recently concluded a deal with the Hubert Curien Laboratory to improve its technology for digital ID and physical documents security.

Article Topics

AAMVA  |  digital ID  |  digital wallets  |  driver's license  |  HID  |  identity document  |  mDL (mobile driver's license)  |  mobile app  |  New Zealand