New Yorkers who tend to forget their wallets at home or lose their purses now have another way to officially prove their identities: a digital version of their state-issued IDs.
The New York DMV is rolling out a secure mobile ID that residents can download and use on their phones, whether at airports or bars that accept it. Officials say it serves the same purpose as valid, state-issued driver licenses, learner permits and non-driver IDs, and can currently be downloaded on Apple and Android phones.
“Everything is on your cellphone these days, and now, your ID can be, too,” DMV Commissioner Mark Schroeder said in a statement Tuesday. “This is an exciting way to provide identification without having to dig through your wallet or purse to find your physical document.”
People who fly out of LaGuardia and JFK airports in Queens can use the mobile IDs at security checkpoints and more than two dozen airports across the country thanks to a partnership with the federal Transportation Security Administration, according to the DMV. Officials say the move is meant to make it easier to travel securely.
At TSA checkpoints, mobile ID holders only have to scan their phones at an identity reader for their phone to display whatever information the agency is requesting, the DMV said. They will not have to hand over their phones, and participating checkpoints will have signage indicating that they accept digital IDs.
“The New York mobile ID, as soon as you download it, can be used anywhere it’s accepted,” said DMV spokesperson Lisa Koumjian. She said other states that accept mobile IDs will also accept New York’s.
Koumjian said eventually users will also be able to present their mobile ID to prove their age at restaurants and bars that have verification scanners — all without giving away their home address or name, as with physical IDs.
Another advantage over physical documents, according to officials: Protection from identity theft that can happen when someone loses their ID or has it stolen.
“[If] you lose your phone, your mobile ID is completely protected,” said Koumjian. “You have to enter either a six-digit ID that you set up, or you can unlock it with your face or your fingerprint, face ID or touch ID.”
Still, the DMV cautions that the mobile ID, called New York MiD, serves as a “companion” to a physical ID and not everyone will initially accept them, “so New Yorkers should always continue to carry their physical driver’s license or ID.”
Below is a video from the department explaining how people can download the app and enroll. Additional information on the mobile IDs is available here.