It’s a digital version of someone’s license.
Glen Burnie, Md. (KM) – The Maryland Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Administration has launched a mobile driver’s license and I.D. card. MVA administrator Chrissy Nizer says residents can get a digital driver’s license which can be used as identification at US Transportation Security Administration facilities located at BWI/Thurgood Marshall Airport, and Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.
“Back in 2017, we actually did a digital driver’s license pilot with MDOT employees,” says Nizer. “And after that and based on the lessons learned, we actually went to the Legislature and got legislation passed to enable the acceptance of mobile driver’s licenses.,”
She says mobile driver’s licenses can help protect an individual’s personal data which can be found on a physical driver’s license. “You think about that when you hand over that physical license, they’re seeing all that personal information when that may not be necessary for the transaction you’re trying to complete,” says Nizer.
For more information on digital driver’s licenses, you can go on line to mva.maryland.gov.
“If you have an Apple phone, you can go right into your Apple Wallet. You’ll see options to add a driver’s license. You’ll select the state of Maryland. And from there, you’ll begin the provisioning process,” says Nizer. “It will require you to have your physical license with you. You’ll need to scan the physical license. You’ll need to do some motions to ensure that you’re the actual individual who’s there as well as take a photo.”
Nizer says you can use the digital driver’s license to go through TSA checkpoints at BWI Thurgood Marshall and Ronald Reagan Washington National Airports. “Pull up that Maryland Mobile I.D. in your Apple Wallet. You would indicate that your want to present that information. You would scan that right there at the TSA checkpoint. and then acknowledge that ‘yes’ are good with sharing your information with them,” says Nizer.
She says this procedure is only available at ten airports around the country, but TSA plans to expand that to other airports after the agency installs the “readers” in order to do it.
If you have set up a mobile driver’s license in your Apple Wallet, Nizer says don’t throw away your physical driver’s license. :”Even in the legislation we passed, it’s very clear that for law enforcement purposes and other reasons, you always have to have that physical license in addition to that Maryland mobile I.D.,” Nizer says.
She says folks who have a State I.D. but no driver’s license can also obtain a Maryland Mobile I.D. through Apple Wallet.
By Kevin McManus
