The Indiana digital ID is a free smartphone version of your driver’s license or state ID, offered through the Indiana Mobile ID app. It’s useful for age-verification at participating stores, but it does not replace your plastic card. State law still requires the physical license when you drive, and the digital credential is not accepted at TSA airport checkpoints or Indiana polling places.
Who Qualifies
You need a current, non-expired Indiana driver’s license or state-issued photo ID from the Bureau of Motor Vehicles. Suspended privileges or an expired card disqualify you. The digital credential mirrors the status of the physical one, so any later expiration, suspension, or revocation carries over.
Your physical license must also have a digital photograph on file. Indiana law specifically bars licenses issued without a photo from being converted into a mobile credential.1Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code Title 9 Motor Vehicles 9-24-11-5
How to Set It Up
Download the Indiana Mobile ID app, developed by IDEMIA, from the Apple App Store or Google Play. Have your physical card ready, along with the zip code on file with the BMV and a working mobile number for two-factor authentication.
The app first prompts you to photograph both sides of your card. Then it runs a liveness check: you perform specific facial movements for a selfie scan, which the system compares against the photo the BMV has on file. That step confirms you are the person setting up the credential and not someone who found your card.
Next you choose a PIN or enable fingerprint or face recognition to lock the app. The BMV verifies your information, usually within a few minutes, though busy periods can slow this down. Once approved, your digital license appears in the app. There is no fee.
Where the Indiana Digital ID Works
Acceptance is limited to businesses running compatible digital verification systems, most often for age-restricted purchases like alcohol and tobacco. When a retailer’s system supports it, you tap or scan your phone instead of handing over the plastic card.
The app uses a selective disclosure framework, which is its main practical advantage. If a store only needs to confirm you are over 21, the app transmits just that answer. Your name, address, date of birth, and license number stay on the phone. Data sent during the interaction is encrypted, and the app does not broadcast your information continuously or store verification history on the retailer’s system.
Where It Doesn’t Work
Driving
This is the point that catches people out. Indiana law requires you to keep your physical driver’s license in your immediate possession whenever you drive, and to produce it on demand for a police officer or a court.2Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code 9-24-13-3 – Possession and Display of Licenses Showing the mobile ID on your phone during a traffic stop does not satisfy that obligation. Driving without the physical card can result in a citation even when your license is perfectly valid, so keep the plastic in your wallet.
TSA Checkpoints
Indiana is not currently listed among the states whose digital IDs are accepted at TSA airport checkpoints.3Transportation Security Administration. Participating States and Eligible Digital IDs If you are flying, bring your physical license or another accepted form of ID. The TSA recommends carrying a physical ID regardless of whether your state participates in the digital program.
Voting
Indiana’s photo ID law requires a physical, government-issued photo ID at the polls, showing your photo, your name as registered, and a current or recently valid expiration date.4Indiana Secretary of State. Photo ID Law A digital credential does not satisfy that requirement. Bring the plastic license, a state ID, a U.S. passport, or a military ID.
Court, Notarizations, and Other Formal Uses
Any setting where an official must physically retain or sign against your card still requires the plastic version. The mobile ID has no legal standing as a replacement in those transactions.
REAL ID and Domestic Flights
Federal REAL ID enforcement began on May 7, 2025.5Transportation Security Administration. REAL ID To board a domestic flight or enter certain federal buildings, you now need a REAL ID-compliant credential (marked with a star on the card), a passport, or another federally accepted ID. The TSA has stated that eligible mobile driver’s licenses must be based on a REAL ID-compliant physical license, but because Indiana’s digital ID is not yet part of the TSA program, the app cannot stand in for a compliant physical card at the airport.3Transportation Security Administration. Participating States and Eligible Digital IDs
If your current Indiana license does not have the REAL ID star, visit a BMV branch with proof of identity, your Social Security number, and two proofs of Indiana residency to upgrade before your next flight.
If Your Phone Is Lost or Stolen
The PIN or biometric lock on the app is your first line of defense; without it, a thief cannot open the credential and impersonate you. Remotely lock or wipe the device through Apple’s Find My iPhone or Google’s Find My Device as soon as you realize the phone is gone.
Contact the BMV to report the situation and ask about revoking the credential tied to that device. Setting up a new mobile ID on a replacement phone means going through the full enrollment process again. Your physical license stays valid throughout, which is one more reason to keep it on you.