N.J. to put driver licenses on smartphones and mobile devices

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New Jersey drivers will eventually be able to leave their wallets home and carry their licenses on their smartphones.

Gov. Phil Murphy recently signed a bill that requires the state Motor Vehicle Commission to create digital licenses. Murphy said giving drivers a choice about what kind of license they carry will make life easier for them.

“Innovation has always been at the core of who we are as a state, and my administration has embraced that spirit to deliver practical solutions that improve everyday life for our people,” he said. “By bringing government services into the digital age, we’re setting a new standard for how the public interacts with State agencies.”

When can you get a digital driver’s license?

William Connolly, press secretary for the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission, said the MVC is developing the technology. The program won’t launch for a while, possibly until 2029.

“We do know that this is of significant interest to New Jerseyans and our customers, so as soon as we have more information available, a final timeline available, we will provide that,” Connolly said.

He said the mobile licenses will give individuals control over how much information they want to share in different situations, such as when they are stopped by a policeman or when they use it as identification at the airport or at a pharmacy.

“The law contains specific provisions that will protect user security and keep their information private,” he said.

Will a digital driver’s license be mandatory?

Connolly said once the licenses are offered, getting one will be an individual choice.

“It’s just an added option,” he said. “MVC will continue to issue licenses and IDs in the physical card format that we’re all used to.”

He said he expects a lot of people to convert to mobile licenses.

“More is being done on our phones each and every day, people I think are getting much more confident and fluid with contactless payments, contactless interactions,” Connolly said.

Currently 15 states and Puerto Rico offer digital driver’s licenses, and several others, including Pennsylvania, are considering it.

Pat Diegnan, the chair of the Senate transportation committee and a prime sponsor of the measure, said offering a digital license to Jersey residents makes sense.

“I’m glad that New Jersey will be providing an additional form of convenient identification for residents,” Diegnan said.

U.S. Rep. Nellie Pou, who was another prime sponsor on the bill when she served in the state Senate, said that digital driver’s licenses “provide a modern means of carrying identification that motorists are required to carry and are used for varied types of identification.”

New Jersey State Chief Innovation Officer Dave Cole said the new licenses will  make it more convenient to do business in the state.

“This is an exciting opportunity to improve services for New Jerseyans, while strengthening the privacy and security of their digital identities,” he said.

Connolly said the new law also calls for creating nondriver digital identification cards.

“Nondriver are available for anyone who is age 14 or older who wants a state-issued identity card to help prove their identities,” he said.