Fact Check: Digital driving licences to be trialled later in 2025, not next week
Britain is planning to begin trials to introduce digital driving licences later in 2025, not in January, contrary to online reports.
Social media posts on Jan. 17 said digital licences would be available the following week.
"BREAKING: Digital driving licences will roll out across UK phones next week and will be accepted for voting, domestic flights, and buying alcohol," said one post on X, opens new tab, which received nearly 1 million views. An identical post was also published on Facebook.
However, a spokesperson for Britain's Department for Science, Innovation & Technology, opens new tab (DSIT) said in an email that pilots for digital driving licences would arrive later in 2025, not in January.
The department said in an online statement, opens new tab that driving licences would be one of the first digital documents available in the GOV.UK Wallet app.
The digital licence will allow Britons to prove their age or right to drive directly from their smartphones, the department added.
VERDICT
Missing context. Digital driving licences will be trialled later in 2025, not in January, a spokesperson for the UK government said.
This article was produced by the Reuters Fact Check team. Read more about our fact-checking work.
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