Set Up and Present Your Virginia Mobile ID

Choose the digital credential supported by your device

The Virginia Mobile ID program currently offers two ways to carry an eligible state credential digitally: the Virginia Mobile ID app and ID in Apple Wallet. Both are voluntary and free to add and use under DMV's published instructions (read October 21, 2026). The state app is available through the App Store and Google Play. Apple Wallet is a separate enrollment option for supported Apple devices. Having the Android app available does not establish that Virginia credentials can be added to every other digital wallet; use only an option actually offered on DMV's current page.

The general Mobile ID FAQ limits enrollment to holders of a valid Virginia driver license or eligible identification card. Learner permits, driver privilege cards, and child IDs are excluded from the current program (read October 21, 2026). Check the credential itself before troubleshooting an enrollment failure as a phone problem. A suspended or revoked driving privilege must be resolved before initial enrollment. Installing an app does not issue a new license, remove a restriction, or extend a card that is approaching expiration.

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Prepare the current card and phone

You need the physical credential to complete the identity check. A person who recently renewed or replaced a card must wait until the new card arrives before enrolling. Ordering a physical replacement remains a separate DMV transaction. Use the driver license replacement service or ID replacement procedure when the physical credential is missing or unreadable, then enroll with the issued replacement. A photograph saved before the latest card was ordered is not a substitute for following the verification prompts with the current document.

DMV's general app guidance lists iPhone 8 with iOS 16 or newer and Android OS 8.0 or newer, while its Apple Wallet guidance directs users to the current requirements for that particular wallet (read October 21, 2026). Do not assume one product's minimum automatically applies to the other. Begin through DMV's Mobile ID app page or Apple Wallet page so you reach the intended product. Set up the phone's required security first and allow time for verification before relying on the digital credential during travel.

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Enroll through the Virginia Mobile ID app

The app enrollment instructions direct applicants to launch the official app, review its terms, authenticate the device, scan the barcode on the back of the physical credential, and complete the face-matching prompts. Work in even lighting against a simple background. Glare over the barcode or shadows across the face can interfere with verification. Follow the framing prompts instead of repeatedly submitting an image with the same obstruction. The system is checking the applicant against the DMV credential, so another person's face cannot complete enrollment on the credential holder's behalf.

Android users should enable automatic screen rotation before beginning. DMV instructs them to scan the rear barcode with the phone in landscape orientation, switch to portrait for the face check, and use portrait orientation after enrollment (read October 21, 2026). Keep the most recent physical card nearby throughout the process. If the photo no longer resembles the applicant, follow DMV's troubleshooting guidance about lighting, facial accessories, and matching the card photograph. Contact DMV if the mismatch persists rather than attempting to alter the credential image or bypass the face check.

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Add the credential to Apple Wallet

The Virginia Apple Wallet FAQ describes opening Wallet, selecting the add button, choosing Driver's License or State ID, and selecting Virginia. Follow the option to add the credential to the iPhone and, when appropriate, a paired Apple Watch. This process scans both sides of the physical card and may request facial or head movements. Wait for approval in Wallet before treating the enrollment as complete. The state does not promise that every application will finish immediately; additional verification can extend processing.

A verification-in-progress message may lead DMV to mail a code to the address on the customer record. If that address changed within the preceding 30 days, DMV directs the customer to a customer service center to obtain the code (read October 21, 2026). Check the DMV office directory if that instruction appears. The Apple Wallet FAQ also explains an accessibility route for people using supported accessibility features who cannot complete the ordinary gesture process. Follow the provided alternative and any additional DMV request rather than assuming that inability to perform a movement ends eligibility.

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Present only through an accepted verification method

For the state app, unlock the app, select the information to share, authenticate, and present the generated QR code to the verifier. Screen brightness may need adjustment so the reader can detect it. DMV says the app can be presented without a cell signal after download and that its encrypted verification rejects screenshots (read October 21, 2026). Showing a static picture of the card is therefore a different action from transmitting the credential through the app. Ask whether the business has a compatible reader before starting a transaction that depends on digital acceptance.

Apple Wallet uses a supported identity reader and a device prompt showing the requested information. Review and authorize the request using the applicable device authentication. DMV explains that the phone or watch stays with the holder during the transaction. Age verification at a participating business may call for less information than a full identity check. Review what is being requested each time; the ability to limit disclosure depends on the transaction and does not mean an applicant can omit information a particular lawful identity check requires.

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Confirm acceptance for the place you are going

The participating-locations directory identifies current Virginia businesses, agencies, and other participating settings. Acceptance at one store or one event does not establish acceptance at every location operated under a similar name. DMV describes participation by customer service centers, selected Virginia ABC stores, other businesses, and law enforcement agencies. Consult the current listing and the receiving organization's instructions for your particular visit. Expansion announcements explain the program's direction, but they do not guarantee a reader at an unlisted counter.

Airport use requires a participating TSA checkpoint. Check TSA's digital-ID information for current support and TSA's accepted-identification rules for the physical documents you should carry. A mobile credential can represent either a standard Virginia credential or a REAL ID, and the app displays the underlying REAL ID status. Enrollment does not convert a standard card into a federally compliant one. Use Virginia's REAL ID requirements if that upgrade is needed, or prepare another TSA-accepted identification document for the trip.

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Use the credential appropriately during a traffic stop

DMV recognizes Virginia Mobile ID as a valid digital driver license but continues to instruct drivers to carry the physical license because acceptance varies among law enforcement agencies. Tell the officer that you have a mobile credential and wait for instructions before presenting it. The law-enforcement section of the general FAQ explains that the required information matches the full set appearing on the physical card. A business's age-only disclosure option therefore should not be assumed to satisfy a traffic-stop request.

If the phone is discharged, broken, or inaccessible, the physical credential remains the practical backup. Presenting through the supported digital process does not require handing the device to the officer or providing access to unrelated phone content. DMV describes the transaction history as available to the holder for reviewing the date, requested data, and receiving agency. Follow the actual reader and authentication prompts. A successful enrollment performed earlier at home is not evidence that every officer currently has the equipment to accept it.

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Maintain the DMV record and manage a lost device

The personal-information update page governs changes to the DMV record; editing information displayed on a phone cannot replace that process. DMV says mobile information is refreshed from record changes, and the Apple Wallet FAQ states that renewal updates the wallet credential. Complete the underlying license renewal on time. If driving privileges are later suspended, the mobile display can show the suspension for identification purposes; revocation results in removal from the program under DMV's current FAQ. Neither digital display authorizes driving while the underlying privilege is invalid.

For a new phone, follow the product-specific removal and enrollment steps. Apple Wallet instructions explain removing the ID from the old device and setting it up on the replacement, as well as remotely locking or erasing a lost Apple device. The state app also requires enrollment on the new device. Review the applicable FAQ before transferring access so an old device is handled correctly. For persistent enrollment or access problems, use Virginia DMV's official contact channels, including the published customer service number, rather than sending credential images to an unsolicited support message.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Can a Virginia learner permit be loaded into Mobile ID?
The current eligibility list excludes learner permits, driver privilege cards, and child IDs. An eligible valid Virginia license or identification card is required.

Does the state app's Android availability mean Google Wallet is supported?
DMV currently offers the Virginia Mobile ID app through Google Play and separately offers Apple Wallet enrollment. Follow the specifically named option instead of assuming support for another wallet.

Can I enroll while waiting for a replacement card?
DMV requires the newly issued physical card for the enrollment scan. Wait for that card to arrive before completing setup.

Will a screenshot work at a reader?
The state app uses encrypted digital verification that rejects screenshots. Present through the live credential's supported process.

May I leave my plastic license at home after enrolling?
DMV continues to require the physical card as a backup because digital acceptance and device availability vary. Carry it when driving and traveling.

Why would Apple Wallet ask me to visit DMV for a code?
Additional verification can require a mailed code, but an address changed within the preceding 30 days triggers DMV's in-person code procedure.

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More Virginia DMV guides

The other Virginia DMV guides, 52 of them: