No Real standard for mobile driver’s licenses in temporary DHS reversal

Federal officials apparently have recently realized that regulations prohibit states from issuing digital IDs, including mobile driver’s licenses, that comply with Washington’s Real ID standard.

Department of Homeland Security officials reportedly are working on updated regulations that would allow states to adopt a subset of Real ID rules until a full fix can be implemented. This in turn would allow federal agencies like the TSA to accept them.

The situation was discovered two decades into the DHS’ halting campaign to get states to make IDs that meet Real ID’s security and data integrity muster.

The offending regulation was not a problem until the last few years, because few states even seemed aware they could issue digital IDs.

But, according to a new White House report about efforts to make accessing federal services more efficient, eight states have issued them. Another three are piloting mDLs, and 17 are debating their merits.

The report says the “fast rise” in mobile driver’s licenses would be complicated by the regulation.

There is no word on how long the temporary regulation will be needed. The latest deadline for states complying with Real ID is May 2025. State resistance has caused repeated delays since the act was signed in 2005.

Article Topics

airport biometrics  |  DHS  |  digital ID  |  driver's license  |  mDL (mobile driver's license)  |  Real ID  |  standards