New Jersey gives Motor Vehicle Commission 44 months to issue mDLs

New Jersey is getting mobile driver’s licenses and digital IDs for non-motorists, with Governor Phil Murphy signing a bill for the Motor Vehicle Commission to create them into law. When exactly they will arrive remains unclear.

The New Jersey MVC will develop digital driver’s licenses and “digital non-driver identification cards” to be voluntarily stored on smartphones and other mobile devices.

A3518 and S1297 specify that no person or organization, including police, can require a digital ID holder to hand over their device for identity verification. The legislation also includes rules against the collection, use, retention, sharing, sale, or disclosure of data from the mDL or digital ID, as well as tampering with or duplicating the IDs, or accessing their data without authorization.

The state has allocated $1.5 million for the program in its Fiscal Year 2025 Appropriations Act.

The legislation also specifies that the acts take effect 44 months after they are signed into law, meaning the mDLs may not be issued and used until March of 2029.

“By bringing government services into the digital age, we’re setting a new standard for how the public interacts with State agencies,” Governor Murphy says.

Assemblyman William Sampson, one of the bills sponsors, notes that the digital credentials can be used for age verification.

“With so much being done on smartphones these days, it’s only logical to offer New Jersey residents the option of a mobile driver license or non-driver ID,” says Latrecia Littles-Floyd, acting chief administrator of the Motor Vehicle Commission. “We are excited by the signing of this legislation, which empowers the Motor Vehicle Commission to develop a secure, convenient, and user-friendly mobile ID. Our team looks forward to giving New Jerseyans greater flexibility in verifying their identity as they go about their day-to-day lives, aligning our State and people with an increasingly digital world.”

The U.S. is up to 15 states and Puerto Rico that have implemented mDL programs, with another 10 and Washington, D.C. working to do so.

Article Topics

digital ID  |  legislation  |  mDL (mobile driver's license)  |  New Jersey  |  United States