New Jersey mDL bill advances but won’t take effect for three years

New Jersey may be getting mobile driver’s licenses, following the advancement of a bill through the state Legislature with broad support. The proposal now just needs to be signed by the governor.

However, the bill is not scheduled to take effect for three years – making it one step forward, two steps back in the march to nationwide mDL coverage.

According to the New Jersey Monitor, the state would likely have to apply for a waiver for mDLs under Real ID requirements, which began in May.

When mobile driver’s licenses finally do land, the bill requires the commission to ensure they have safety and security features to protect people’s personal information. New Jersey drivers may have to pay a “reasonable” issuing fee to the state Motor Vehicle Commission to get one. Once they’ve acquired one, they should know that handing someone their phone to show their digital ID “doesn’t constitute consent to search their phone or access information that isn’t on their identification card.”

‘Common sense’ to allow digital for traffic stops

The final point in New Jersey’s bill is especially important in the context of other states’ evolving mDL laws. A new Georgia law now allows drivers to use a digital ID on their phones during traffic stops by law enforcement.

WMAZ says the change aligns road requirements with select airport TSA checkpoints where digital ID is accepted.  It quotes Rep. Shaw Blackmon, who says “it’s kind of common sense that if you’re gonna allow people to obtain a digital ID, that we let them use that as an official ID where it makes good sense to do so.”

Physical IDs are still required for voting and obtaining boating and hunting licenses, among other transactions. And there is a transitional period while law enforcement agencies acquire the necessary equipment to scan mDLs; this must be in place by July 2027. Meanwhile, residents are advised to continue carrying their physical IDs.

According to the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators (AAMVA), the following states and territories now offer some form of mobile driver’s licenses: Arizona, California, Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, Georgia, Iowa, Arkansas, Louisiana, New York, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, Ohio, Hawaii, Alaska and Puerto Rico. North Carolina’s is set to go live this summer.

Article Topics

digital ID  |  Georgia  |  law enforcement  |  mDL (mobile driver's license)  |  New Jersey  |  United States