Illinois Is Getting Digital Licenses: Here’s How It All Works

We've been keeping an eye on the progress of Illinois House Bill 4592 (HB 4592) for a while now, and because we're technology geeks we're pretty excited that it brings that little plastic card in your wallet into the digital age by allowing us to have our driver's licenses or state IDs on our phones, where we have seemingly everything else.

Back in May, the Illinois General Assembly unanimously passed HB 4592, which allows Illinois residents to actually download a digital copy of their Illinois driver's license or state ID onto their mobile phones.

Life changing? Not really. But, with the amount of times you need to show a driver's license or ID in today's world, it will be nice to be able to access driver's licenses and IDs with just a click or two and not worry about accidently losing your physical copy.

Let's Get To When And How The New Digital Driver's Licenses And Digital IDs Will Work In Illinois

First off, for those reading this who are quite certain they don't want a digital Illinois driver's license or ID card, IllinoisPolicy.org points out that "the mobile version of the identification card or driver’s license will not replace the physical copy and is not required but will instead work as a companion, allowing Illinoisans to use either format. There is an exception for law enforcement officials who may request the physical copy."

Bottom line: If you don't want a digital Illinois driver's license or digital ID you don't have to have one, and no one will force you to get one...at least for now.

You don't have to decide right this minute, HB 4592 doesn't take effect until January 1st of 2025.

As An Illinois Resident, You'll Probably Want To Know How Much This Will Cost You If You Decide A Digital Driver's License Or ID Is Something You Want To Have

In a state that's overloaded with taxes and fees, it's totally understandable that you might think the price-point for going digital might be more than you want to shell out.

In order to obtain a digital copy of your Illinois driver's license or ID you'll have to download a special app that allows you to access your digital license/ID. However, I was pleasantly surprised to see that HB 4592 specifies that the state of Illinois can only charge you a maximum of $6 to install the app and download the license/ID.

Other than Illinois, the states that currently offer digital driver's licenses and IDs are Arizona, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, and Utah.

Several other states are currently considering it.