Georgia Added To List of States Adapting Digital Driver’s License Option

Drivers in Georgia will have a new option for showing identification.

The Georgia Department of Driver Services has announced a digital option for driver’s licenses, WSB-TV reports. Georgia residents can immediately add the valid ID option to their iPhones and Apple Watch. This new option will be available for Georgians at select TSA security checkpoints, including the busy Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta Airport.

The process of adding to digital devices should be fairly easy. To add your driver’s license or state ID to your Apple Wallet, tap the + button at the top of the screen in Apple Wallet on your iPhone, select “Driver’s license or State ID,” and then follow the additional set-up and verification steps. Department officials are asking those utilizing the option to give at least 48 hours for Georgia to appear as an option.

Gov. Brian Kemp says the state is open to adopting new innovative practices and thanks DDS and TSA for working on this initiative. “As the No. 1 state for business, Georgia recognizes the value of finding new and innovative ways to remain at the forefront of emerging trends,” Kemp said. “I look forward to this option being widely available for hardworking Georgians and visitors alike.”

Residents must have a valid and readable state driver’s license or ID card and an iPhone 8 or Apple Watch 4 or later, with the latest version of iOS or watchOS.

Georgia is added to select states that are using this option. Arizona, Maryland, and Colorado are the other states to introduce digital state ID options. Washington State introduced a new bill, SB 5105, earlier this year to give residents the same choice. Sen. Mark Mullet sponsored the bill after he told GeekWire how easy it was to access his vaccine card on his phone. “I learned from the ease of having vaccine information on your cell phone why it would make sense to also offer this option for folks when it comes to their driver’s license.”

For Georgians, DDS says physical licenses are still required to be carried, with the digital version just being a “free and voluntary option.”