Arizona mDLs now live on Samsung Wallet

The Arizona Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Division has announced that state residents can now store mobile driver’s licenses in Samsung Wallet on their smartphones, bringing its total number of compatible wallets to four. First created in 2021, it began supporting Apple Wallet in 2022 and Google Wallet last month.

Identity authentication provider Idemia collaborated with the AZ MVD and Samsung to enable wallet compatibility. The wallet leverages Idemia’s principles of privacy by design, end-to-end security, and privileged access to government records. The MVD also keeps credentials up to date in real time.

The digital ID in Samsung Wallet complies with the ISO standard for the mDLs, and its information is stored on the device itself. License owners have complete control over what information they wish to share with interested parties. When making an age-restricted purchase, for instance, users can share just their birthday.

Arizona’s digital ID is valid at select TSA security checkpoints in airports including the Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, though residents should continue to carry a physical copy for other circumstances, such as law enforcement.

To upload the card, Samsung Wallet users can go to the digital ID feature under the app’s quick access tab and follow the prompts to upload their card and face biometrics to verify identity. Once complete, users can authenticate through either a PIN or fingerprint to keep their card secure.

“Arizona is proud to be the first state to offer Samsung Wallet for carrying and presenting a driver license or state ID,” says Eric Jorgensen, Arizona MVD director.

“We are proud to roll out our Mobile ID technology to Arizona residents, in partnership with the AZ MVD, and bring states such as Arizona a new level of modernization to bring convenience to residents’ lives while keeping their identities secure,” says Idemia EVP of Strategic Alliances Matt Cole.

Article Topics

Arizona  |  digital ID  |  digital wallets  |  face biometrics  |  Idemia Public Security  |  mDL (mobile driver's license)  |  Samsung  |  Samsung Wallet