Utah airport accepts state’s mobile driver’s licenses from GET Group

A mobile driver’s license from Utah now qualifies as valid ID at some airports in the United States, according to an announcement by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), the Utah Driver License Division (DLD) and GET Group North America.

Any state resident with a traditional driver’s license can download a signed version to their mobile device, according to KSL-TV. Participating travelers can choose to go wallet-free at TSA PreCheck lines at Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC), one of a few U.S. airports that accept mDLs.

The mobile digital ID program, which GET piloted in 2021, offers contactless cryptographic verification through GET’s Mobile Verify app. With financial institutions including Utah Community Credit Union signed on and some businesses in Utah starting to accept mDLs for alcohol purchases, thousands of Utahns have joined the program.

GET Group says Utah is the first U.S. state to produce mDLs that comply with ISO/IEC 18013-5, the international standard governing their acceptance.

MDL holders can verify their identity without their phones changing hands, control what mDL information is shared and track every time their ID is accessed, via the app.

DLD Director Chris Caras said in a statement that expansion to airports “will increase the number of Utahns who opt into the program out of a desire for convenience, security, and ownership of their identification.”

Cactus mDLs jacked

Meanwhile, the Arizona Department of Transportation, Motor Vehicle Division (MVD) has rolled out new security upgrades for physical driver’s licenses.

According to Arizona Public Media, fraud protection measures on the polycarbonate ID include Thales‘ dynaprint security printing technique, and an image of a local cactus type that shifts into a ponderosa pine tree.

The new cards come as states mostly continue to prepare to meet the federal ID data standard Real ID. Beginning May 2025, compliant credentials will be the only IDs accepted at TSA checkpoints for domestic travel within the U.S.

Article Topics

biometrics  |  digital ID  |  digital identity  |  driver's license  |  GET Group  |  identity document  |  Thales Digital Identity and Security  |  TSA  |  United States  |  Utah