The Tennessee digital driver’s license is a phone-based version of your state-issued license that law enforcement, alcohol sellers, and most other verifiers must accept in place of the plastic card. Governor Bill Lee signed Senate Bill 1297 into law on April 28, 2025, renaming the program from “electronic” to “digital” and strengthening the acceptance requirement.1Tennessee General Assembly. SB1297 – Bill Information Using it is voluntary, and no one can require the digital version or treat you better for choosing it.
Who Can Get One
You need a valid, unexpired Tennessee driver’s license or state-issued ID card. The digital credential sits on top of your existing license rather than replacing it, so if the underlying card is expired, suspended, or cancelled, you cannot create or keep a digital version.2Justia. Tennessee Code 55-50-301 – License Required
The digital license automatically deactivates if your physical license is suspended or cancelled, or if you report your device lost or stolen.3Tennessee General Assembly. SB1297 Bill Text Someone who loses driving privileges cannot keep a working credential on their phone.
How to Sign Up
Enrollment requires downloading the state’s digital license app, entering identifying information from your physical card (including your license number), and completing a verification step so the Department of Safety can confirm you are the rightful cardholder.
Tennessee had not publicly confirmed which platform will host the credential as of 2025 reporting. Four other states had already joined Apple and Google’s wallet programs, but Tennessee’s choice between those wallets and a standalone state app was still undecided.4NewsChannel 5. Tennessee Is Finalizing a Plan to Offer Digital State IDs on Your Smartphone For the current app and step-by-step instructions, check the Tennessee Department of Safety at tn.gov/safety.
If Tennessee ultimately uses Google Wallet or Apple Wallet, enrollment at other participating states typically involves photographing the front and back of your physical card, recording a short identity-verification video, and waiting for the issuing authority to confirm the match. A phone screen lock is required, and Bluetooth has to be on for contactless verification.5Google Wallet Help. Add Your US Driver’s License or State ID
Where It’s Accepted
Traffic Stops and Law Enforcement
Tennessee Code § 55-50-306 names law enforcement among the parties who must accept the digital license in place of the physical card.6Justia. Tennessee Code 55-50-306 – Electronic Driver License System Officers can verify the credential is authentic and current against state records.
Handing an officer your phone to display the license does not give consent to look at anything else on the device. The statute draws that line expressly: an officer may view the license information and nothing more.6Justia. Tennessee Code 55-50-306 – Electronic Driver License System
Buying Alcohol and Other Age-Restricted Items
Alcoholic beverage sellers are specifically listed in the statute as parties who must accept the digital license, and the acceptance requirement also reaches “any other person” who requests identification, which covers tobacco retailers and similar businesses.3Tennessee General Assembly. SB1297 Bill Text Digital license technology can share only the data point a verifier needs, such as confirmation you are over 21, without exposing your address or license number.
Where It Won’t Work
Three situations the law does not cover are worth knowing before you leave your plastic card at home.
Voting. You cannot use a digital driver’s license at a Tennessee polling place. The 2025 law explicitly prohibits it, and election officials must not accept one.8Tennessee General Assembly. SB1297 Bill Text
Airport security. Tennessee is not on the TSA’s list of states with approved mobile driver’s licenses. As of early 2026, 21 states and territories had TSA-approved digital IDs; Tennessee was not among them.7Transportation Security Administration. Participating States and Eligible Digital IDs You need a physical REAL ID-compliant license or another accepted ID to fly.
Out of state. No nationwide reciprocity exists for digital licenses. Another state may have no way to scan or verify a Tennessee credential, and no law requires it to try. Carry your physical card whenever you cross state lines.
Privacy Protections
SB1297 built in several safeguards. Any data collected through the system cannot be retained for more than three calendar days and can only be shared with law enforcement agencies, government entities, or under a court subpoena.3Tennessee General Assembly. SB1297 Bill Text
Collection of biometric identifiers like fingerprints and facial scans is prohibited, with a narrow exception for photograph comparison needed to verify your identity. Geolocation data collection is banned as well.3Tennessee General Assembly. SB1297 Bill Text The system cannot track where you use the credential or build a biometric profile from your interactions with it.
Should You Still Carry the Plastic Card?
Inside Tennessee, for ordinary purposes, the digital version satisfies the law. Section 55-50-306(e) lets you present the digital format “in lieu of a physical driver license,” and SB1297 says it “must be accepted.”3Tennessee General Assembly. SB1297 Bill Text Tennessee Code § 55-50-351 still requires drivers to have their license in “immediate possession,” and the digital system creates a parallel path for meeting that requirement through your phone.9Justia. Tennessee Code 55-50-351 – License to Be Carried and Exhibited on Demand
Keeping the plastic card accessible is still the practical call. You will need it to vote, to fly, and when you travel out of state. And if your phone dies, breaks, or is damaged in a crash, the physical card is your only backup.