California’s digital ID is a free mobile version of your driver’s license or state ID that you carry in an app on your phone. The California DMV issues it through the CA DMV Wallet app as a voluntary program, and it supplements your plastic card rather than replacing it.1California DMV. CA DMV Wallet You can use it at TSA checkpoints in more than 250 airports and for age-verified purchases at select Sacramento retailers. Law enforcement and most businesses still require the physical card.
What You Need to Enroll
You need three things: a valid California driver’s license or state ID card, a current smartphone, and a MyDMV online account.2CA.gov. Mobile Driver License (DMV Wallet) If you already have a MyDMV account, you may be asked to supply your driver’s license number or Social Security number to upgrade it for mDL access. If you don’t have one, you’ll create it during setup.3California DMV. DMV mDL
Keep your physical card nearby because the app will ask you to scan it. Your phone needs a screen lock and current software. On iPhone, that means an iPhone XS or later running iOS 17.5 or later.4Apple Support. Add Your Driver’s License to Apple Wallet On Android, you need Android 9 or higher with NFC and Bluetooth available.5Google Wallet Help. Create an ID Pass With Your Passport
How to Set It Up
Download the CA DMV Wallet app from the Apple App Store or Google Play.1California DMV. CA DMV Wallet Open it, then log in to your MyDMV account or create one. If you hold both a California driver’s license and a separate state ID, the app will ask which credential you want to enroll.3California DMV. DMV mDL
The app walks you through scanning your physical card with the phone’s camera. Once you submit the scan, the DMV checks the information against its records. After approval, the digital credential appears in the app and is ready to use. The DMV doesn’t publish a verification timeline, so approval can take anywhere from a few minutes to a couple of days depending on how cleanly the scan reads.
You can also store the credential in Apple Wallet or Google Wallet for TSA use.2CA.gov. Mobile Driver License (DMV Wallet) Adding your license to Apple Wallet runs through Apple’s own interface and has its own identity verification steps.4Apple Support. Add Your Driver’s License to Apple Wallet
Where You Can Actually Use It
Airport TSA Checkpoints
Digital IDs are accepted at more than 250 airports nationwide. At the checkpoint, you scan a QR code or tap your phone on the digital ID reader to verify your identity.6Transportation Security Administration. Digital Identity and Facial Comparison Technology This works through the CA DMV Wallet app, Apple Wallet, Google Wallet, or Samsung Wallet. Before you travel, check whether your specific airport and terminal have the readers installed, because not every checkpoint does yet.
Age-Verified Purchases in Sacramento
Through a partnership with the TruAge verification system, you can use your mDL to prove your age at select Sacramento retailers. You show a TruAge QR code at checkout, and the retailer’s system confirms you meet the age requirement without seeing your address or other personal details. Participating stores so far are mostly convenience stores, small grocery stores, and neighborhood markets in the Sacramento area. The DMV has said it plans to expand to larger grocery stores, liquor stores, bars, restaurants, and concert venues.7California DMV. TruAge Age-Verified Purchasing
Beyond airports and these Sacramento stores, acceptance is limited. Individual businesses decide whether to install mDL readers, and most haven’t.
Why You Still Need Your Plastic Card
The digital ID does not replace the physical card for legal purposes. California Vehicle Code Section 12951 requires every driver to carry a valid physical license while driving. If an officer asks for your license during a traffic stop and you can only show the app, you can be cited.8California Legislative Information. California Code VEH 12951 – Signature and Display of Licenses The charge can be dismissed if you later produce a valid physical license in court, but after a third offense the judge has discretion to let it stand.
The DMV itself tells users to keep carrying the physical license or ID because many law enforcement agencies, government offices, and businesses do not accept the mDL yet.1California DMV. CA DMV Wallet The vehicle code hasn’t been amended to treat the digital credential as legally equivalent to the plastic one.
A dead battery is the other practical reason. The mDL depends on a powered, functioning phone, so a drained device at a TSA checkpoint or during a stop leaves you without any ID unless the plastic card is in your pocket.
Does the Digital ID Count as REAL ID?
No, not on its own. REAL ID enforcement for domestic air travel began on May 7, 2025, and travelers now need a REAL ID-compliant document to board domestic flights and enter certain federal facilities.9Transportation Security Administration. REAL ID Federal regulations prohibit agencies from accepting mDLs for official purposes unless TSA has granted the state a specific waiver, and even then acceptance is at each federal agency’s discretion.10Federal Register. Minimum Standards for Drivers Licenses and Identification Cards Acceptable by Federal Agencies for Official Purposes The waiver only applies if the mDL holder also carries a valid REAL ID-compliant physical license from the same state. For REAL ID purposes you still need the plastic card.
Privacy and What You Share
When you present the credential at a reader, a prompt appears on your phone showing what the other party is requesting, and you approve the exchange with Face ID, a fingerprint, or your passcode. The technical standard for mobile driver’s licenses, ISO 18013-5, supports selective disclosure, which means sharing only the specific data needed for that interaction rather than everything on the card.11American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators. Mobile Driver License Digital Trust Service
In practice, the privacy controls are still catching up to the standard. The TruAge system confirms only that you meet an age threshold without exposing your address. The Electronic Frontier Foundation and other privacy advocates have criticized the broader DMV Wallet app for not yet fully implementing selective disclosure across all use cases. Work on those features is ongoing, so read each prompt before you approve it.
The credential itself is bound to your phone through its secure hardware, and the data exchange with a reader happens device-to-reader rather than across the internet, which limits exposure during each use.11American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators. Mobile Driver License Digital Trust Service