Colorado Gov. Jared Polis on Aug. 31 announced the launch of a new mobile driver license that Coloradans can use to verify their identity at Transportation Security Administration (TSA) checkpoints at Denver International Airport and more than 250 participating airports nationwide.
Coloradans with a state-issued driver license or identification card can add the myColorado Mobile Driver License (mDL) to the state’s myColorado app. More than 2 million Coloradans already use the app to access digital identification, hunting and fishing licenses, vehicle registrations, age verification, and other state services.
At participating TSA checkpoints, travelers can present the mDL through a QR code scan and a live photo taken by the checkpoint reader. The system verifies the traveler’s identity, flight details, and screening type without requiring the traveler to hand over a physical ID, boarding pass, or smartphone, according to the state.
“Finally! You can use your myColorado app to fly at the airport! We have been working on this for years and now the federal government will accept your myColorado app identification at airport security,” Polis said.
The new credential is separate from the Colorado Digital ID already available in the myColorado Wallet. Both credentials are available in the app, but only the mDL is accepted by TSA.
The state said the mDL uses international identity verification standards to provide a privacy-focused screening process.
Coloradans can add the mDL to as many as two digital wallets approved by the Colorado Division of Motor Vehicles, including myColorado.
The state advised travelers planning to use the mDL at airport security to update the myColorado app and add the credential before arriving at the airport to ensure they have the latest version and full functionality.
Residents must have a valid Colorado driver’s license or state-issued ID card to create a myColorado account and add the mDL.
The mobile credential does not replace a physical driver’s license or ID. Colorado advised residents to continue carrying their physical credential as a backup, regardless of which digital wallet they use.
