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What Is a Mobile Driver’s License (mDL)? Definition, Standards and Limits

A mobile driver's license is an issuer-signed, device-bound digital credential defined by ISO/IEC 18013-5, not a picture of your card. Here is what it covers and where it falls short.
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A mobile driver’s license (mDL) is a driver’s license issued by a licensing authority and carried as a digital credential on a mobile device. It is not a photo or scan of your plastic card. It is a signed data credential that a compatible reader can check for origin and tampering.

The definition, precisely

ISO/IEC 18013-5 is the international standard behind mDLs. It defines a mobile driving licence as one that fulfills at least the function of a paper or plastic driving licence but is implemented as an mdoc, a mobile document. The standard specifies the interface between the mDL and an mDL reader, and between the reader and the issuing authority’s infrastructure. Its stated purpose is to let a verifier obtain the data, tie it to the holder, authenticate where it came from, and verify its integrity.

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The International Electrotechnical Commission’s catalog entry puts it this way: “This document establishes interface specifications for the implementation of a driving licence in association with a mobile device.”

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The U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) describes mDLs as issuer-signed and device-bound. It also says they rely on public-key cryptography. NIST’s September 4, 2025 project update says they carry license-like fields such as name, birth date and address in a format available through a wallet.

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mDL versus a picture of your license

Question Photo or scan of a card mDL
What is it? An image anyone can copy or edit A credential issued and signed by a licensing authority
Can the verifier check who issued it? Only by eye Yes, cryptographically, using a compatible reader
Tied to your device? No Yes, it is device-bound
Can you share only some data? No, the whole image is shown The standard lets the holder decide what to return, depending on the implementation

What the standard covers and what it leaves out

ISO/IEC 18013-5:2021: in-person presentation

Published on 2021-09-30, it covers the interfaces for the credential, the reader and the issuer infrastructure. The U.S. Federal Register’s 2024 final rule describes it as applying to attended verification, where holder and verifier are physically together.

ISO/IEC TS 18013-7:2025: presentation over the internet

This technical specification adds requirements for presenting an mDL to a reader over the internet. ISO says the 2025 second edition replaced the 2024 first edition and added a normative annex for retrieval through a digital-credentials API. A technical method existing does not mean any given website or business accepts mDLs.

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Deliberate gaps

The standard excludes how holder consent is obtained and what the requirements are for storing data and private keys. So privacy depends on local law, the issuer, the wallet implementation, the verifier’s practices and the user interface. Selective sharing is possible, but the standard does not guarantee it everywhere.

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Where mDLs are accepted in the U.S.

NIST’s 2026 implementation resource page says mDLs are available in over 20 states and territories and accepted at over 250 TSA checkpoints. That is a snapshot. It does not mean your state’s credential will work at a particular checkpoint on a particular day.

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The 2024 federal final rule requires federal agencies to validate mDLs under ISO/IEC 18013-5 in the specified context. A state seeking a waiver must explain how its mDL issuance interoperates with ISO/IEC 18013-5 and AAMVA data elements. This is a U.S. rule and does not describe other countries.

Good and poor uses

NIST says verifiable digital credentials such as mDLs can serve as identity evidence in identity proofing and verification. It does not recommend them for routine authentication. It considers them better suited to identity evidence, account recovery and other low-frequency events. For wallet credentials, it advises a secure presentation protocol consistent with NIST SP 800-63C.

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How to compare two mDL offerings

  • The issuing authority and the credential’s legal status where you live.
  • Conformance with ISO/IEC 18013-5 and interoperability.
  • Whether it supports in-person presentation, online presentation or both.
  • Which data elements can be shared separately.
  • How consent and device and key protection are implemented.
  • Which verifiers, including specific TSA checkpoints and businesses, accept it.

Don’t assume one state’s credential works everywhere. Check issuance with your own licensing authority and acceptance with the verifier’s current instructions.

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