When you're at a bar and the bartender asks for your ID, you will now be able to pull out your phone and open an app, instead of rummaging through your wallet or purse for a physical document, in England and Wales.
This is because the Licensing Act 2003 (Mandatory Licensing Conditions) (Amendment) Order 2026 came into force on Tuesday, September 15.
But the phone is not enough - the pub has to be in on it too, and accept that type of ID. And that's not all - they can now choose to only accept that type of ID. And that would mean that the "convenience" of not having to carry a physical ID turns into a requirement to have a phone and an app.
Digital Government Minister Stephanie Peacock said, "This groundbreaking change in the law will mean you do not need to carry a physical ID, nor hand over sensitive personal information such as your name or address just to prove your age - allowing everyone to feel safer on a night out."
But in order to "prove your age" in a pub, what actually happens is that a private company will confirm your identity to the pub, to a "medium level of confidence." That is what the order actually says.
The order states that the pub must have an agreement with a Digital Verification Service (DVS) provider registered on GOV.UK, that will "deliver identification to the responsible person that reaches at least a medium level of confidence."
And in case the staff thinks you look younger than 18 and you want to use the app, the policy must say that you are "obliged, upon the request of the responsible person, to make available to the responsible person the means by which their relevant ID may be verified."
In other words, the bartender is not enough of an authority to confirm that you are who you say you are, even if they think you are over 18. But a private company that is registered on the GOV.UK site is.
The order makes sure to note that physical documents are still valid. But the fear is that businesses may choose to only accept digital ID, and thus force their customers to use it.
According to the government, the change in the law was supported by 72% of respondents in a 2024 consultation, and is separate from the digital driving license and the GOV.UK Wallet - "though in time this will be one of the ways people can prove their age digitally to buy alcohol."
Big Brother Watch, a privacy and civil liberties group, said that the government should have made sure that people's right to use non-digital ID is protected by law, and that businesses should be prohibited from making digital ID a requirement for age checks.
"Having multiple ways to prove your identity is helpful, but the Government should ensure that digital ID does not become de facto mandatory as it would shut out millions of people," said Big Brother Watch senior legal and policy officer Jasleen Chaggar.
People rely on physical ID "out of choice, privacy and security concerns, or because they lack the digital skills or means to use digital ID," she explained. "Older and disabled people, those living in digital poverty and people without digital skills are among the millions who would be excluded if digital ID became the default option."
The group said that the government should "expressly prohibit businesses from requiring digital IDs for age checks without offering reasonable alternatives."
