ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Carrying your driver’s license in your wallet may soon become a thing of the past. The New York State Department of Motor Vehicles rolled out a “Mobile ID” on Monday. There’s no mandate that you have to go digital. At this point, it’s just an option.

You already have a physical driver’s license, learner’s permit, or identification card. You can download the “New York mID” app if you do. You register the phone number of the device you’re using. Then you’ll be asked to take a picture of the front and back of your physical ID using the phone’s camera.

Once you do that, you’ll pose for a selfie. The app checks your photo against the information on file with the DMV to ensure you are who you say you are. Once your information is verified, you’ll be able to use your digital ID wherever it’s accepted.

Where it’s accepted is going to be the issue, at least for now. The state is training businesses, stores, and restaurants on the technology but the DMV figures it’ll take some time to catch on.

Some early adopters are the airports in New York City. Passengers there can scan their mobile New York State ID at TSA checkpoints and they won’t even need to present a boarding pass.

Upstate airports will be able to accept mobile IDs but probably not for another few months, as they’re waiting for the scanners. The DMV says digital IDs are not a mandate — just an option.

“Let’s say for example, down the road, your local bar or restaurant accepts the NY mobile ID, and they ask you to prove your age, you scan your ID rather than handing over your physical document,” said Lisa Koumjian, Deputy Commissioner of the NYS DMV. “The bartender or the bouncer, they don’t need to know your home address, they don’t even need to know your name, they just need to know you’re over 21 right? So the NY mobile ID makes that so easy.”

The digital ID doesn’t look like a picture of your license. The personal information it provides is encrypted and only accessible when you agree to share it. It’s transmitted through a secure, digital connection so you shouldn’t need to ever actually hand over your phone, just show it.

You can also control what data to share. If you’re trying to prove you’re over 21, you choose to just share your birthday without sharing your name, height, or address.

“Unlike a physical ID, let’s say you lose your purse or you drop your wallet somewhere, anyone can pick it up and look in your wallet and find your physical ID and they’ve got all of your personal information,” Koumjian said. “Conversely, if you lose your phone, your mobile ID is completely protected. You have to enter either a six-digit pin that you set up or you can unlock it with your face or your fingerprint.”

The DMV says digital IDs are not a mandate — just an option. If you do decide to do it, the state says it will not store or transmit any data on when and where you use it.

Learn more about the program here.

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