State leaders say Louisiana is leading the way with a new smartphone app that displays a digital driver’s license.
Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards announced the new app called “LA Wallet” Tuesday. Although the app is free to download for Apple and Android devices, there is a $5.99 in-app purchase that activates a person's license or ID.
“Most people never leave home without their smartphone and with this app, they will never be without their driver’s license,” Edwards said in a news release.
The digital license has the same expiration date as the user’s physical driver’s license. When the physical license expires, a person must renew his or her license with the Office of Motor Vehicles and purchase another digital license through the app.
The app was developed with the help of Louisiana State Police, the Department of Public Safety and OMV. Edwards said state police requested a “hands-off and no-touch” procedure that would not require officers to hold a user’s phone.
OMV Commissioner Karen St. Germaine said the app is secured by a pin number and does not track a user’s location at any time. If your phone is lost or stolen, the OMV said, users can log into an online portal to unlink their license from their smartphone.
The app was created under Act 625, authored by Baton Rouge state Rep. Ted James.
Edwards said the app is the first digital driver’s license app to be fully launched in the United States.
For more information or to download the app, click here to visit the LA Wallet website.