WHAT ARE DIGITAL DRIVING LICENCES? GOV.UK WALLET EXPLANIED

LATER THIS YEAR, YOU'LL BE ABLE TO ACCESS ALL YOUR DRIVING LICENCES INFORMATION VIA THE GOVERNMENT'S NEW APP. WE EXPLAIN HOW THIS WORKS AND WHAT IT MEANS FOR YOU

- Tom Jervis [e-mail]

IT'S been more than 120 years since a driving licence became a necessity in the UK, and the forthcoming digital driving licence is set to become the next innovation in its development.

Originally, a driving licence - or a 'Driving Certificate' as it was then known - was a yellow sheet of paper issued by the Automobile Club of Great Britain and Ireland. After the passing of the Road Traffic Act 1934, the licence was only issued after a driver had passed a proficiency test.

This sheet gradually evolved into a small booklet, then back to a sheet of paper and then the plastic photocard which, under the Identity Documents Act 2010, can be used as an official form of identification.

The next step, as with seemingly everything nowadays, is digitisation, with digital driving licences due later this year. But what are they, how do they work and what are the advantages? Our handy guide reveals all.

WHAT IS A DIGITAL DRIVING LICENCE AND HOW DOES IT WORK?

A digital driving licence is exactly what you'd expect: a digitised, virtual version of your driving licence that can be accessed via a mobile phone.

Exactly the same information that's on the physical driving licence will be contained on the digital equivalent. And according to a Government spokesperson, it will "eventually be usable for everything your paper licence is currently used for".

The new digital driving licence will be accessed on your phone via the GOV.UK Wallet app and will essentially act in much the same way as the paper counterpart did years ago, in the sense that it will be supplementary to the physical copy.

WHAT IS THE GOV.UK WALLET?