Login.gov to accept passports soon, mDLs by next March

The U.S. federal government plans to accept mobile driver’s licenses for online access to government services by March of 2026, as it revamps its digital identity capabilities to prevent fraud.

A 40-page program roadmap for Login.gov was presented by the General Services Administration in a recent industry day, and reveals a plan to support mDLs during the first half of its 2026 fiscal year, which runs October to March.

But first, Login.gov is adding passports as evidence for identity verification. It is also launching an API for sharing anti-fraud signals, deeper anti-fraud analytics and additional identity vendors.

The plan for the first half of fiscal 2026 also includes reusing proofing from other government systems, like PIV and CAC cards, and accepting new identity evidence via checks of authoritative government records. It also includes the launch of a partner portal and cross-channel identity verification campaigns. Login.gov will also participate in cross-agency threat modeling and connect with more data sources to fight fraud.

In the second half of fiscal 2026, from April to September, Login.gov plans to add a trusted referee program for hard-to-verify populations and improve the platform’s user experience.

Support for mDLs is being stood up in collaboration with the National Institute of Standards and Technology and issuing states through the National Cybersecurity Center of Excellence (NCCOE).

Previously, American mDLs have only been accepted by the federal government for ID checks by the Transportation Security Administration. And even that step can take time.

Louisiana’s LA Wallet will now be accepted by TSA at airports, federal facilities and courthouses, Governor Jeff Landry and OMV Director Bryan Adams announced in a video. LA Wallet has existed for years, and 1.5 million people were reportedly using it, mostly to store mDLs, as of 2022.

The long and winding road

The roadmap sets out America’s challenge with fragmented identity, and how that plays out for people accessing services, and for the government in preventing fraud. GAO estimates of fraud losses between 2018 and 2022 range from $233 billion to $521 billion.

The document then reviews how Login.gov applies private sector tools, such as for authenticating ID documents and face biometrics matching, plus authoritative government records to address these challenges.

It presents the benefits to the public and to government agencies, and lists the 52 different government bodies Login.gov serves.

Login.gov charges agencies $0.10 per monthly active user for authentication, with reductions for higher volumes. For identity verification, Login.gov charges $1, or $3 in the “proofing” year of a credential’s lifecycle, which is every five years. The base price for agencies to use the service is $2,500, with transaction prices counting towards the minimum.

Login.gov also makes a “Biometric Promise” not to use personal data for purposes other than identity verification, to use a privacy-preserving approach to selfie biometrics matching, to leverage best-in-class biometric algorithms tested for accuracy and bias, and to continue collaborations on and research into fraud prevention.

NIST is also in the midst of a program to build a reference architecture for using mDLs or Verifiable Credentials to carry out KYC checks while opening a financial account. The program will then turn to accessing federal government systems, and then healthcare use cases.

Digital identities like mDLs can meet the identity assurance level 2 (IAL2) which is required for compliant access to sensitive services, without the ID document scan and selfie biometrics check.

That process is difficult for some of the platform’s users, Login.gov Head of Engineering Luigi Ray-Montañez said during the industry day.

“We see a lot of user frustration, user friction with that process,” he said, as reported by Nextgov. “A lot of need to retry. A lot of blurriness. Cell phone cameras weren’t, frankly, designed to read the 2D barcode on the back of driver’s licenses.”

“This is a transformative step towards secure, seamless digital identities, the holy grail,” says GSA Acting Administrator Stephen Ehikian. “We’re paving the way to align federal strategies with state and industry standards.”

Login.gov was certified to NIST IAL2 by Kantara last October after adding biometric liveness detection, but audits have continued to point out cybersecurity gaps in the platform.

A June executive order from President Donald Trump reversed a Biden-administration move to support mDLs with federal acceptance and grants.

Article Topics

biometrics  |  digital ID  |  digital identity  |  identity document  |  identity proofing  |  Login.gov  |  mDL (mobile driver's license)  |  NCCoE  |  U.S. Government