Digital Driving Licence UK: What We Know and When It Will Launch
The UK digital driving licence is not yet publicly available as of September 2026. GDS began a private pilot in December 2025 and said in January 2026 that a wider rollout would follow later in the year; as of September 2026, gov.uk/wallet shows only the HM Armed Forces Veteran Card and lists a driving licence as coming in future. No confirmed launch date has been announced.
- Available now?
- NoNot yet publicly available as of September 2026
- Current pilot
- PrivateTesting with GDS and DVLA staff only since Dec 2025
- Launch date
- Not setNo confirmed public rollout date announced
- gov.uk Wallet
- HM Forces onlyOnly the HM Armed Forces Veteran Card is saveable now
- Provisional licence
- Not confirmedNo official statement that provisionals will be included at launch
- DVSA test use
- Not confirmedWhether it will be accepted at a practical test has not been stated
Is the digital driving licence available yet?
No. As of September 2026, the UK digital driving licence is not available to the public. The gov.uk Wallet page lists a driving licence as coming "in future", meaning the service has not opened to general use. You still need your physical photocard driving licence for identity checks, hiring a car, producing evidence at a DVSA test or any other purpose that requires your licence today.
A number of commercial and comparison websites have published articles claiming the digital driving licence has already launched or is imminent. These claims are not supported by gov.uk or GDS. The official position, as last updated by GDS in January 2026, is that the rollout will happen "later this year". That statement has not been updated since, and no new date has been confirmed.
What is the UK digital driving licence?
The digital driving licence is a version of your DVLA-issued driving licence that you would save to your phone through the gov.uk Wallet app. The physical photocard licence would remain valid alongside it. The digital version is intended for identity checks and other everyday situations where you would currently show your physical licence; it is not a replacement for the photocard, which stays as the legal licence.
The gov.uk Wallet is being built by the Government Digital Service. It is a secure digital wallet that holds government-issued documents. The first document added was the HM Armed Forces Veteran Card, which became saveable in the wallet in 2024. The driving licence is the next document planned for the wallet, followed by other identity documents over time. The project is part of the government's broader digital identity programme under the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025.
Timeline: what has been confirmed so far
The digital driving licence project has moved more slowly than early announcements suggested. Here is what has actually been confirmed at each stage.
- 01January 2025: government announces "coming this year"
The government announced on 21 January 2025 that a digital driving licence would be tested in a 2025 pilot. That pilot was described as a test with a limited group of users. No specific date or technical details were provided at that stage.
- 02December 2025: private pilot begins with GDS and DVLA staff
GDS confirmed in January 2026 that private testing had started in December 2025. The pilot covered GDS and DVLA employees only. Members of the public could not take part. No results from the pilot have been published.
- 03January 2026: GDS says wider rollout will follow "later this year"
A GDS blog post published on 21 January 2026 confirmed the private pilot was running and said the digital driving licence "will be rolled out more widely" later in 2026. The post gave no date, no technical specification for how identity checks would work, and no information on which types of licence would be included.
- 04September 2026: no launch date confirmed
As of September 2026, gov.uk/wallet still lists the driving licence as coming "in future". The January 2026 "later this year" statement has not been updated, and GDS has not published a new timeline. The original 2025 pilot plan has already slipped by at least 12 months.
What can you save to gov.uk Wallet right now?
Currently, the only document available in gov.uk Wallet is the HM Armed Forces Veteran Card. If you visit gov.uk/wallet today, you will see the driving licence listed as a document that will be added to the wallet in future. No other identity documents are available yet.
- HM Armed Forces Veteran Card: available now via gov.uk/wallet.
- Driving licence: listed as coming in future, not yet available.
- Provisional licence: not mentioned in current gov.uk Wallet documentation.
- Passport: no announcement made about inclusion in gov.uk Wallet.
- National Insurance evidence: not part of the gov.uk Wallet programme.
Will the digital driving licence be accepted at a DVSA practical test?
No official statement has been made about whether the digital driving licence will be accepted as your licence document at a DVSA practical driving test. DVSA currently requires you to bring your photocard driving licence to the test, and examiners check it at the start of the appointment. Until DVSA or the government publishes guidance specifically covering test use, the safest course is to bring your physical photocard.
This is not a trivial question for learners: the practical test is one of the most common situations where a licence identity check actually happens. PassRates.uk will update this page as soon as an official position is published. Do not rely on forum speculation or third-party guidance on this point, as there is no confirmed answer yet.
Will provisional licences be included in the digital rollout?
No official confirmation has been given that provisional licences will be included in the digital driving licence. The GDS announcements have referred to "the driving licence" without specifying full or provisional categories. Provisionals are issued by DVLA in the same photocard format as full licences, but they serve a distinct legal purpose during the learning period, including the requirement to display L plates and drive with a qualified supervisor.
Until GDS or DVLA publishes specific guidance on provisional licences, assume that the physical provisional photocard remains the document you need for all learner driver purposes.
| Topic | Confirmed (official source) | Still unknown | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Private pilot | Running since December 2025 (GDS, Jan 2026) | Results or findings from the pilot | |
| Public launch date | Not confirmed | "Later in 2026" per GDS Jan 2026, no update since | |
| DVSA test acceptance | Not addressed by DVSA | Whether examiner will accept digital version | |
| Provisional licences | Not mentioned in any official announcement | Whether provisionals will be in scope at launch | |
| Foreign ID acceptance | Not addressed | Whether digital licence replaces photocard for cross-border use | |
| Hire car use | Not addressed by BVRLA or rental companies | Whether hire firms will accept digital licence |
Why do websites say the digital licence is already live?
Several commercial websites, including insurance comparison sites and driving news outlets, have published articles claiming the digital driving licence has launched or is about to launch. These articles typically cite the January 2025 announcement ("coming this year") without noting that the 2025 pilot has since slipped, or they conflate the gov.uk Wallet service (which is live) with the driving licence being available in that wallet (which it is not).
The gov.uk Wallet app itself is real and functional for the Armed Forces Veteran Card. It is easy to assume the driving licence must be available because the wallet infrastructure is there. But the driving licence being added to that infrastructure involves DVLA data integration, legal recognition for specific use cases, and potentially updates to checking guidance for employers, hire companies and enforcement bodies. None of these steps have been publicly completed.
What should you do in the meantime?
- Keep your physical photocard driving licence safe and up to date. It is the document you need for all driving, identity and licence checks until the digital version is confirmed as accepted.
- If you need to replace a lost or damaged provisional licence, use the DVLA D1 application form or apply online at gov.uk/apply-first-provisional-driving-licence. The fee is currently £20 for a replacement.
- Do not rely on third-party sites that claim the digital licence is already live. Check gov.uk/wallet directly for the current state of the service.
- If your test is coming up, bring your physical photocard to the test centre as required. DVSA has not changed the document requirement.
- For hire car bookings, continue to present your physical photocard alongside the DVLA check code from gov.uk/view-driving-licence, which is the current standard practice for sharing your record with hire companies.
“The digital driving licence will be rolled out more widely later this year.”
For related guidance on managing your DVLA record and your licence after passing, see the lost provisional licence guide, the declaring medical conditions to DVLA guide, and the new driver 2-year probation rules.
Sources and further reading
The figures, fees, and procedures referenced in this article are verifiable on the official gov.uk pages below. PassRates.uk is built on the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency’s open data, published under the Open Government Licence.
What is the pass rate at your test centre?
Search by centre name, town or postcode to see the latest DVSA figure.
Frequently asked questions
Is the digital driving licence available in the UK yet?
No. As of September 2026, the UK digital driving licence is not publicly available. Gov.uk/wallet shows the driving licence as coming "in future". The only document currently saveable in the gov.uk Wallet is the HM Armed Forces Veteran Card.
When will the digital driving licence launch?
No confirmed launch date has been announced. GDS said in January 2026 that a wider rollout would come "later this year", following a December 2025 private pilot. That statement has not been updated since. The original 2025 pilot plan has already slipped by at least 12 months.
Can I use the digital driving licence at a DVSA practical test?
DVSA has not yet published guidance on this. Until an official statement is made, you should bring your physical photocard driving licence to a practical test as currently required. Do not assume the digital version will be accepted until DVSA confirms it.
Will a provisional licence be included in the digital driving licence?
No official announcement has confirmed that provisional licences will be included at launch. GDS announcements have not specified full or provisional categories. Assume your physical provisional photocard remains the required document for learner driver purposes.
Can I use the digital driving licence to hire a car?
Not yet, and no guidance has been published on hire car acceptance. The current standard practice for car hire in the UK is to present your physical photocard and provide a DVLA check code via gov.uk/view-driving-licence. Hire firms have not published updated acceptance policies for a digital licence.
What is gov.uk Wallet?
Gov.uk Wallet is a government app built by GDS that lets you save official documents to your phone. The HM Armed Forces Veteran Card is the only document currently available. The driving licence is listed as a future addition. The wallet itself is functional, but the driving licence has not yet been integrated into it.
Does the digital driving licence replace the physical photocard?
No. The physical photocard driving licence would remain valid alongside any digital version. The digital licence is intended to be an additional way to present your licence in everyday situations, not a replacement for the legal photocard document.
How will I know when the digital driving licence launches?
Check gov.uk/wallet directly. When the driving licence is added, that page will be updated to show it as available. PassRates.uk will update this guide on the same day a confirmed launch is announced.
Every candidate behind these numbers passed a theory test first. Nationally 44.8% of attempts clear it.
Loads, roof racks, towing and keeping the vehicle stable and legal. All 14 DVSA topics are free to practise, with no sign up. See the theory pass rate by centre or the full practice hub.
Related guides
Written by Vikas and the PassRates.uk team. Vikas is the software engineer and driving enthusiast who started the site. The figures come straight from the DVSA open dataset; see the methodology.
Source DVSA, Open Government Licence v3.0
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