Across the US and in many other countries, driving licences serve as a primary form of identification. They enable residents to verify who they are, access government services, and increasingly participate in emerging digital identity ecosystems.

As the rollout of mobile driving licences (mDLs) gathers momentum across the US, a parallel movement in the opposite direction is questioning the privacy implications of these digital credentials. Spearheaded by the ‘No Phone Home’ campaign, privacy advocates are mounting a challenge to what they see as a creeping erosion of civil liberties.

A significant shift is underway for Europe’s motorists, as the European Union advances plans to introduce digital driving licences. These mobile licences, accessible via smartphones, will complement traditional physical licences, offering a more flexible and interoperable identity solution across Europe.

In its final days, the Biden administration is preparing an executive order that emphasises the use of digital identity technologies, such as mobile driving licences (mDLs), to enhance identity verification for public benefit programmes.

The Oregon Driver and Motor Vehicles Division (DMV) of the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) recently confirmed that an estimated 3.5 million driving licences and ID cards were compromised when the agency was hacked.

In this round up of recent new secure document issues, we record new card designs for the US states of Arizona and Virginia, and the new Swiss driving licence.

Toward the end of 2022, South Africa’s Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula announced that the current driving licence card would be phased out and replaced with a card compatible with international standards. Now, more details about the new card are emerging.

South Africa could launch a pilot of its new driving licence cards as early as 1 November 2023, and motorists in the country can expect several changes, including a new, more secure design and a possible validity extension to ten years.

Currently, there are around 280 local authorities setting distinct rules, processes and fees for motorists wanting to obtain a taxi licence in the UK. But industry experts are now calling for plans to harmonise the procedures in line with the principles of ‘fill it out once’.

Greek citizens can now create, store and present digital versions of their national identity card and driving licence using a digital identity wallet on their smartphone.