Pennsylvania is joining the digital ID movement! The way we use our driver\u2019s license and ID documents is changing very fast in the U.S. For most part of the year, the focus was on the need to get documents certified with the REAL-ID. However, there\u2019s another transformation happening at the same time: digital IDs.<\/p>\n
Now, Pennsylvania is one more state that\u2019s part of the group looking to modernize their residents\u2019 experience with a mobile version of their driving license. So, let\u2019s find out more about this change.<\/p>\n
REAL-ID context<\/p>\n
On May 7 of this year something important happened in the U.S.: The federal government finally made it compulsory that every ID document was REAL-ID certified. Even though this program was conceived in 2005, the real implementation lasted almost 2 decades because: many states opposed it, there was a need for infrastructure upgrades at MDVs<\/a>, and a lot of citizens also needed updated IDs.<\/p>\n According to the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) itself, this rule set minimum safety standards for issuing and producing licenses and prohibits federal agencies from accepting non-compliance ID documents. So, physical and digital versions won\u2019t be accepted anymore.<\/p>\n At the same time, drivers have also had to deal with new traffic rules: modifications in speed limits, higher fines, the possibility of going to jail for certain offenses, and prohibitions like holding the phone while driving to reduce distractions.<\/p>\n Pennsylvania joining the digital license<\/p>\n Among these updates, Pennsylvania has presented a proposition that puts the state at the forefront of modernization. Senate Bill 861, currently in consideration, aims to allow residents to use a digital identification on their mobile phones. But this doesn\u2019t mean it will substitute the physical document.<\/p>\n