Which states have implemented or piloted government digital ID programs and are any compulsory?
Executive summary
U.S. states and territories have widely adopted or piloted mobile driver’s licenses (mDLs) and digital IDs: multiple jurisdictions—including Illinois, Virginia, Maryland, California, Arizona, Colorado, Georgia, Montana, New York, Utah, West Virginia and Puerto Rico—have rolled out or announced mDL programs and at least a dozen states + Puerto Rico allow Apple/Google/Samsung Wallet Digital ID functionality as of late 2025 (Apple says 12 states and Puerto Rico live) [1] [2] [3]. Available sources do not show any U.S. state has made digital ID compulsory for everyday use; programs described in U.S. reporting and state releases emphasize optional enrollment and continuing need for physical IDs in many official contexts [3] [4] [5].
1. What governments in the U.S. have implemented or piloted digital ID / mobile driver’s license programs
State-level adoption has accelerated: reporting and industry trackers list a growing list of jurisdictions that have implemented mDLs or compatible Wallet integrations—examples named by Mobile ID World and others include Maryland, California, Georgia, Virginia, Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, Vermont and North Carolina planning or launching programs, while Illinois publicly launched a Mobile ID in November 2025 and other states recently made Apple Wallet-compatible IDs available [2] [3] [1]. Apple’s announcement specifically states Digital ID in Apple Wallet was live in 12 states and Puerto Rico as of November 12, 2025 [1]. Local news coverage likewise reports Illinois residents can now add their driver’s license or state ID to Apple Wallet and use it at about 250 TSA checkpoints [3] [4].
2. How interoperability with tech platforms and TSA pilots shape the rollout
Federal and private-sector pilots have shaped adoption: the TSA runs a “participating states” program letting travelers present mobile IDs at select checkpoints, and many states are building Wallet or vendor-based solutions that can be presented at TSA checkpoints or participating businesses [6] [1]. Apple and Google are actively integrating passport and state-ID functionality into their Wallet platforms; Apple’s rollout emphasized initial acceptance for domestic travel at more than 250 airports and noted the feature is live in a set of states and Puerto Rico [1] [5].
3. Are any of these programs compulsory?
Available U.S. sources cited here do not report any state making digital IDs mandatory for citizens; state launch messaging frames mobile IDs as an optional alternative to physical cards and says physical IDs remain necessary for some official uses (e.g., law enforcement, other contexts) [3] [4]. Conversely, international coverage and UK government sources document a different situation: the UK government has announced a plan to make digital ID mandatory for Right to Work checks (noted as compulsory for that use) and the GOV.UK release explicitly states digital ID will be mandatory for proving Right to Work by the end of the current Parliament [7] [8]. That distinction shows U.S. state programs are optional in current reporting, while some national governments are pursuing compulsory rules for specific legal functions.
4. Privacy, inclusion and civil‑liberties debates — both U.S. and overseas
Coverage highlights concerns about surveillance, exclusion and security in digital‑ID rollouts. U.S. state announcements stress convenience and security, but commentary and civil‑liberties groups warn about privacy and equitable access in other national contexts; for example, UK advocacy groups and commentators warn compulsory schemes risk excluding marginalised people and creating human‑rights issues [9] [10]. The technical community recommends careful design (e.g., federated approaches, inclusion for non‑smartphone users) to mitigate risks, a point echoing government guidance in the UK rollout planning [7] [11].
5. Scale and timelines — what the sources quantify
Industry reporting projected at least 18 U.S. states to adopt standards‑compliant mobile driver’s licenses by mid‑2025 and estimated over 5 million mDLs issued nationwide in 2025; Apple and other vendors report a fast‑growing set of live state integrations and passport support for Wallet apps in late 2025 [2] [1]. Individual state press releases (Illinois) and national press (USA Today, NYT) confirm the functional availability at major TSA checkpoints and incremental rollouts across vendors [3] [5] [12].
6. Bottom line and reporting limitations
Bottom line: many U.S. states and Puerto Rico have implemented or piloted digital-ID/mDL programs and major platform integrations (Apple/Google) are live in a growing number of states, but available sources do not show U.S. states imposing broad compulsory digital‑ID mandates for residents — that is, U.S. state programs are presented as optional in these accounts [3] [1]. The clearest examples of compulsory digital‑ID policy in the provided material are national-level proposals in the UK, where government statements say digital ID will be mandatory for Right to Work checks [7] [8]. If you want a state-by-state rollcall, specify which states you care about and I will extract and cite the exact mentions from these sources.