Key digital identity players partner to make ISO/IEC mDL, credential standards free

International standards for mobile driver’s licenses (mDLs) and similar digital credentials like ISO/IEC 18013 and ISO/IEC 23220 are becoming free to download and access with the support of leading organizations from across the global digital identity landscape.

The International Organization for Standardization (ISO), the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), the Deutsches Institut für Normung (DIN) and the OpenWallet Foundation came together at the Global Digital Collaboration Conference 2026 this week in Geneva to launch the initiative.

The OpenWallet Foundation will manage the initiative. Sponsors include A4 Advisory, the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators (AAMVA), Austroads, Explicit Selection, FaceTec, FAST, Fime, France Titres, iDAKTO, Idemia, Scytales, and Stelau.

AAMVA, Austroads and France Titres have been active in supporting mDL and digital credentials, with the first two creating Digital Trust Services and the latter in charge of the France Identité digital ID wallet.

The standards in the ISO/IEC 18013 and ISO/IEC 23220 series that underpin mDLs and other verifiable digital identity credentials currently range from 18 Swiss francs (roughly US$22) for amendments to CHF227 ($279). DIN has built a portal to distribute the standards documents for free to registered parties. The copyright protections for ISO and IEC still apply.

Opening the availability of these standards for critical digital infrastructure can help support their growing adoption for use cases such as public services, travel, payments and digital identity, according to the announcement.

IEC Secretary-General and CEO Philippe Metzger suggests the collaboration “establishes a new model for how critical digital infrastructure standards can be shared globally while preserving the integrity of the system that creates them.”

“Making these standards available through a sponsorship-based model is a decisive step toward global interoperability for digital wallets and credentials,” says Daniel Goldscheider, executive director of the OpenWallet Foundation.

Article Topics

ISO 18013  |  ISO 23220  |  ISO standards  |  mDL (mobile driver's license)  |  OpenWallet Foundation (OWF)  |  verifiable credentials