DVLA shows off digital driving licence stored on a smartphone

DVLA CEO Oliver Morley shows off prototype digital driving licence on Twitter

The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) is working on a digital version of the driving licence that can be stored on a smartphone. Oliver Morley, chief executive at the DVLA, revealed the plans on Twitter - together with an image showing the driving licence displayed on an Apple iPhone.

Some people on Twitter have responded saying they like the idea, although some raised potential security concerns.

Someone also asked when a digital driving licence will be available, although Morley has not yet responded.

Computing contacted the DVLA to ask for more insight on the project or when it may go live, but had received no reply at the time of publication.

It seems unlikely that it will be soon as the security requirements alone will require a lot of testing, although the fact that such an idea is in development is interesting, and underlines the shift to mobile taking place in all areas of life.

The launch of Apple Pay last year was a likely catalyst for this by encouraging others to see what could be included in the Apple Wallet app, especially as most end users are comfortable storing items like bank cards and boarding passes on their phones.

Banks, in particular, are keen to benefit from this technology. Barclays announced plans this week for its own Android app that will allow Android phone users to make contactless payments, probably before the release of Android Pay.