More Victorians will soon be able to leave their wallet at home as the Government rolls out digital driver’s licences.
After commencing a trial with Ballarat residents last July, the Victorian Government has announced it will expand it statewide.
Motorists in New South Wales have been able to access their licence digitally since mid-2021, while Queensland began offering the smartphone-held identification service statewide in November 2023.
The Victorian Government says it will begin rolling the licences out in May 2024, with more than 4.5 million motorists who are fully licensed drivers, motorcyclists and heavy vehicle operators becoming eligible to download their digital licence.
If you’re an eligible Victorian resident, you’ll automatically receive the licence through the VicRoads or Services Victoria app once it has been processed and be notified via a push notification or email.
Drivers on learner or probationary licences will be able to access theirs digitally by 2025.
The digital licences can be updated in real time if there are changes to licence conditions or personal information like home addresses.
The Victorian Government also says it has undertaken rigorous privacy and security testing, with the digital licences featuring a dynamic hologram – like the physical ones – plus a timed QR code that businesses and authorities can scan to verify authenticity and prevent fraudulent use.
During April, the Government will ramp up consultation with organisations that rely on photo identification including bars, restaurants, retailers, Victoria Police and Australia Post to ensure they’re prepared.
The rollout is running behind schedule.
Before commencing the trial last year, the Victorian Government said it planned to roll out digital licences statewide by 2024.
It intended to use the trial to gather feedback from motorists, police, licensed venues and other businesses. More than 15,000 Victorians participated.
The trial wasn’t without its errors, with VicRoads having to issue an apology in June after sending 57,000 customers emails with incorrect surnames.
It said no other customer data had been released.
