Florida Digital Driver’s License: HB 543, Acceptance, and Limits

Florida’s digital driver’s license is not currently available. The state’s Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (FLHSMV) pulled the Florida Smart ID app from the Apple and Android app stores in July 2024 and asked users to delete it. A replacement is on the way: in March 2026 the Florida House passed HB 543 by a 107-to-1 vote, setting the legal framework for a rebuilt program with an effective date of July 1, 2026, if the Senate passes it and the governor signs it.

Until then, your physical Florida license is the only credential you can rely on.

Where the Program Stands Right Now

The FLHSMV removed the Smart ID app in July 2024, saying it was selecting a new vendor and expected a rebuilt app by early 2025. That timeline slipped. As of early 2026, the app is still unavailable, and former users were asked to delete it from their devices.

The legal authority for a digital credential comes from Florida Statute 322.032, which lets the FLHSMV issue an optional digital proof of driver license to people who already hold a valid physical Florida license. The statute treats the digital version as a companion to the plastic card, not a replacement.

What HB 543 Would Change

The bill the House passed in March 2026 imposes requirements the original Smart ID didn’t meet:

The new digital license must comply with ISO/IEC 18013-5 and 18013-7, the international standards for mobile driving licenses used by most other states with digital ID programs.
Selective disclosure: you would choose the minimum information shared in each transaction. For an alcohol purchase, the system would confirm you are 21 or older without revealing your name, address, or exact date of birth.
Data minimization: verifiers could receive only the credential attributes strictly necessary for the stated purpose, and that purpose would have to be disclosed to you before you shared anything.
The FLHSMV would be prohibited from tracking where you use the credential, and the credentialing system could not retain your IP address or geolocation data.
Private businesses that scan your credential could not store, sell, or share the personal information they collect. Data would need to be securely deleted or irreversibly anonymized once the verification purpose was fulfilled, unless another law required longer retention.

The bill still needs Senate passage and the governor’s signature.¹

How the App Worked, and How the New One Likely Will

Under the old Smart ID, enrollment meant downloading the app, scanning the front and back of your physical Florida license, and passing a facial recognition check against the photo the FLHSMV had on file. You then set a PIN or enabled fingerprint or face unlock to protect the credential.

Verification was designed to keep your phone in your hands. You displayed a QR code or barcode on your screen, and the person checking your identity scanned it with their own device, pulling only the information you had authorized for that transaction. Animated on-screen elements were meant to prove the credential was live and not a screenshot.

The relaunched version will likely follow a similar enrollment flow, but the specifics depend on the new vendor and the ISO standards the app must now meet. Under HB 543, the credential would need to produce tamper-evident, cryptographically verifiable data, which is a meaningful upgrade from the original.¹ The FLHSMV has said it will notify former users by email when the new app becomes available.

Where It Was Accepted, and Where It Wasn’t

Acceptance was the original Smart ID’s biggest weakness. The credential was intended for two main uses: identity verification during law enforcement stops, and age verification at retailers. Neither took hold.

Law Enforcement

Florida law lets you present a digital proof of driver license to an officer during a traffic stop.² The problem was that most officers didn’t have the scanning equipment to verify it. Before the shutdown, users reported showing the app to city police, sheriff’s deputies, and Florida Highway Patrol troopers who didn’t recognize it or couldn’t read the QR code.

Retailers

Retailers who wanted to verify a Smart ID needed a separate verifier app or point-of-sale integration built at their own expense. Few adopted it. A bar bouncer or grocery cashier had little reason to invest in new hardware for a credential almost no customer carried.

TSA Checkpoints

The TSA accepts mobile driver’s licenses from a growing list of states at more than 250 airport security checkpoints, but Florida is not on that list.³ The original Smart ID did not integrate with Apple Wallet or Google Wallet, which are the platforms most participating states use. Whether the relaunched version qualifies depends on whether Florida adopts a wallet-based approach and gains federal approval. For now, bring your physical card to the airport.

You Still Need the Physical Card

Florida Statute 322.15 does say you can present a digital proof of driver license instead of your printed card during a traffic stop. But the same statute includes a fallback: if the officer cannot immediately verify the digital credential, the officer can demand your physical license, and you must produce it.²

Given that most agencies still lack scanning equipment, the practical rule is simple: carry the plastic. A dead battery, a poor connection, or an officer without a scanner all end the same way.

Federal and Interstate Limits

A digital license also runs into limits for identity checks that assume a physical document. Buying a firearm through a licensed dealer requires a valid government-issued photo ID containing your name, address, and date of birth. The ATF’s Form 4473 lists a state-issued driver’s license as acceptable but does not address digital versions as a primary form of identification.⁴

For voting, Florida requires a valid picture and signature ID at the polling place. A Florida driver’s license is on the approved list, but polling locations are not equipped with digital credential scanners, so a physical card is the only practical option.

Interstate recognition is another gap. Different states have built digital ID systems on different platforms. Arizona, Colorado, and Maryland use Apple Wallet. Louisiana and Iowa have their own standalone apps. Without a national standard, an officer in Georgia has no way to scan a Florida-specific QR code. This is one reason ISO 18013-5 compliance matters in HB 543: the standard is designed for cross-jurisdiction verification. Until Florida actually issues credentials that meet it, and other states run compatible verifiers, your digital license is effectively a Florida-only document.

Penalties for Faking a Digital Credential

Florida treats a false digital license the same way it treats a forged plastic card. Under Section 322.032, manufacturing a false digital proof of driver license is a third-degree felony carrying up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $5,000.⁵⁶⁷ Possessing a false digital license is a second-degree misdemeanor, punishable by up to 60 days in jail and a $500 fine. Broader fraud involving forged, fictitious, or counterfeit licenses is addressed separately under Section 322.212 and is generally a third-degree felony as well.⁸

1
Florida Senate. Florida HB 543 – Bill Text
2
Florida Statutes. Florida Code 322.15 – License to Be Carried and Exhibited on Demand
3
Transportation Security Administration. Participating States and Eligible Digital IDs
4
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. ATF Form 4473 – Firearms Transaction Record
5
Florida Senate. Florida Code 322.032 – Digital Proof of Driver License
6
Florida Statutes. Florida Code 775.082 – Penalties, Applicable to Each Felony Degree
7
Florida Statutes. Florida Code 775.083 – Fines
8
Florida Statutes. Florida Code 322.212 – Unauthorized Possession of, and Other Unlawful Acts in Relation to, Driver License or Identification Card