How to Use the mDL Reader
Get the CA DMV Wallet App
Get the mDL Reader
The mDL Reader enables your business to serve customers presenting the mDL on their mobile phone. Just download the DMV Wallet, add your mDL to the wallet, and you’re in business. The reader does not store or track any information.
Bars, restaurants, and special events
Use the Reader to verify a customer’s age in order to enter your facilities or make age-restricted purchases.
Banks, government entities, and secure facilities
Use the Reader to verify a customer’s identity in order to provide services or enter your facilities.
Law enforcement and rental car companies
Use the Reader to verify a customer’s driving privileges.
Using the mDL Reader to Verify Customers
Once you and your employees install the DMV Wallet app, it’s easy to accept the California mDL from customers for age and identity verification. No new hardware is needed.
Here’s how to use it:
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On the Profile screen, move the Reader toggle to the right to turn on; the toggle color will change to blue.
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Once the Reader is on, you will see a Reader icon at the bottom of your screen.
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Tap the Reader icon to open the Reader home screen. Tap the relevant verification option and prepare to scan the customer’s mDL QR code.
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Ask the customer to present the mDL QR code. Scan the QR code. When the mDL holder is verified, you will see “Credential Verified Issuer – CA DMV”.
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The process is complete. The mDL holder is now verified.
Trust and mDL Data
Data received on the DMV Wallet from the Reader is digitally signed by the DMV with temper-evident cryptography and cannot be faked or cloned.
mDL Reader Do’s and Don’ts
Do read and trust the information that is displayed on your mDL Reader after scanning an mDL. It will show the digital verification status, identify mDLs not signed by the DMV, and indicate issues. Do avoid taking screenshots of the information. Screenshots will remove the available cryptographic protection.
Don’t read the information displayed on another phone. Read and trust only what is on the reader. Don’t connect to the DMV systems or the internet for this operation. The process should work in areas with low or no wireless signal.
ISO 18013-5 IACA Certification
This resource is for businesses and government entities who are looking to consume/read the new Mobile Driver’s Licenses (mDL) California released recently. This will provide technology and process guidance, resources and FAQs.
Questions? Ask the mDL Assistant
Frequently Asked Questions
The Issuing Authority Certificate Authority (IACA) root certificate is the foundation of trust used to verify that an identity document was created by a valid issuer, such as the CA Department of Motor Vehicles. Any technology developer building a “Compliant mDL reader” needs this root certificate to validate the California DMV digital signatures on the mDL to confirm the validity of the mDL data.
The mDL Reader is used to verify another’s identity in real time by using another mDL via QR code functionality. It can be used by law enforcement agencies and business entities who offer age restricted products, access to age restricted events, and for banks, secure facilities, airlines, rental companies, and government entities.
CA DMV’s mDL Reader can be used to scan mDL QR codes that are presented by another mDL holder. The person verifying the information will receive confirmation that the mDL holder is over a certain age or in some cases, can view the mDL holder’s personal identifying information. It is up to the mDL holder to share or not to share their information with the party who requests it.
To verify identity and age of an mDL holder, an ISO 18013-5 “compliant mDL reader” is required. The DMV mDL Wallet app is shipped with such a reader as well. There are several mobile apps and specialized readers now available to read and verify mDLs.
No. Identity verification best practices suggest that all verifying entities electronically verify identity when an mDL is presented. Identity verification via mDL should avoid visual verification of the mDL on the holder’s device. Only the identity information transmitted and displayed on a compliant mDL reader should be trusted for authenticity. Failure to do so may put the verifying entity at risk of accepting a fraudulent/invalid identity document.
Yes, your POS device can be used to verify age and identity of an mDL holder when used in conjunction with a “compliant mDL reader”.
Government agencies and retail/commercial entities are required to abide by the current age verification standards.