Details of how digital driver's licenses could work, including what privacy safeguards will apply and how police will verify them, have been released.
Legislation was passed in May changing the legal definition of a driver's licence and making it optional in future to display labels and stickers for things like WoFs and regos.
Now public feedback on an NZTA proposal – essentially a first draft of what the scheme could look like – is being sought.
Here are some of the key details:
How will digital licences work?
Users will be able to store their digital licence on their phone and show it when required. It can be used when interacting with police, as proof of age when buying things like alcohol, or while using online services.
It will contain the same details as a physical licence, as well as additional security and privacy features not available on physical cards.
All details will be stored on the user's device, meaning digital licences can be used without an internet connection.
When checked, a verification process will confirm if it is valid and current, making it harder to use a fake or tampered licence. This will likely be done with an app similar to the already available NZ Verify.
Users will only need to share the information required in each situation. An example of this would be confirming age without sharing a full date of birth.
Over time, digital licences are expected to be recognised overseas. Australia is likely to be the first place.
They are also expected to be accepted by government agencies and businesses as a trusted form of identity in the future.
Here's what's happening with digital driver's licences, watch on TVNZ+
How will they be issued?
According to the proposal, drivers can obtain a digital licence by requesting that it be added to a digital wallet such as Apple Pay or Google Pay.
The driver will then scan their physical licence and complete a "likeness test", providing an image of their face.
Licence details will then be retrieved from the Diver Licence Register, and the holder's image will be compared with the one found in the system.
If everything matches up, a "secure token" will be added to the driver's digital wallet.
What happens when you get pulled over?
When asked to produce their licence by police and other authorities, users will need to open it on their mobile device using an approved app or digital wallet.
Users will not need to hand over their device – the officer will check it electronically, likely via a QR code or contactless tap similar to paywave.
Users will then need to share all required information so the officer can confirm the licence is current and valid.
Screenshots, cached copies and saved images will not be considered valid as they can't be verified as authentic.
There are no proposed changes to offences or licence penalties. The offence framework will continue to operate as it does now.
What about privacy?
NZTA said digital licences would be "designed to protect people’s information and ensure it is a safe and trusted way to prove your identity and entitlement to drive".
Just like physical licences, digital alternatives will need to meet the requirements of the Privacy Act.
Digital licences will use phone security features such as PINs, face ID or fingerprint authentication, as well as encryption, to protect information stored on the device and shared during verification.
Secure verification will be used to check a licence is valid and issued by NZTA, with verifiers required to use an approved list of systems to check the information.
The previously mentioned selective sharing is also part of these requirements.
"These features reduce the risk of fraud and misuse and would make digital driver licences more secure than a physical card and give people more control over the personal information they share," NZTA said.
The agency said it was conducting an assessment to identify risks and ensure that personal information is protected while the new service is designed and introduced.
"The Privacy Impact Assessment looks at what information is needed, how it is protected, and how it is shared or accessed when the licence is used," NZTA said.
"It also considers how to reduce the risk of fraud or misuse, and how people can maintain control over their own information."
NZTA is also working with the Privacy Commissioner to help identify and address these issues.
How will digital WoFs and regos work?
The new system for WoFs and regos will give motorists an "electronic alternative" to confirm a vehicle is road legal without needing to display a sticker or label on the windscreen.
Drivers will still be able to use physical labels if they choose to.
The proposed changes mean enforcement agencies, such as police and council parking wardens, will be able to check vehicle compliance digitally rather than by inspecting their labels. Authorities will do this by entering a vehicle's licence plate into a system which displays its compliance status.
Drivers will no longer have to wait for their labels to arrive in the post, or remember to display them. Currently, failing to display these labels can result in a $200 fine for private drivers.
Vehicles will still need to be registered, licensed, and meet inspection requirements as they do now.
Police already have access to this information using digital records. Similar information is currently available on NZTA's website and mobile app. Rego information is already available to everyone.
Once the new scheme is in place, electronic alternatives will be available for motor vehicle licences (rego), warrants of fitness (WoF), certificates of fitness (CoF), certificates of loading (CoL), transport service licence labels (TSL labels) and alternative fuel inspection certificates (AFIC).
Some things will not change, however. Driver identification cards must still be displayed in taxis, rideshares, and shuttles for passenger safety reasons.
Road user charge (RUC) labels will also be sticking around. Changes to their requirements are part of a separate bill currently making its way through Parliament.
No changes to penalties or fines have been proposed.
'This is about giving people a practical new option'
In a statement on Thursday, Associate Transport Minister James Meager said the changes were a step towards making everyday interactions with transport services faster, easier and more secure.
"This is about giving people a practical new option to prove who they are and their right to drive, using technology many already carry with them every day.”
Digitising Government Minister Paul Goldsmith said the new licences would be designed with privacy and security "at their core".
He said they would allow users to share "only the information required for a transaction" and the new licences would be "entirely optional".
"People who prefer a physical licence can keep using one, while those who want the convenience of digital will have that choice," he said.
NZTA is developing the system with Austroads, Australia’s association of transport and traffic agencies, of which it is a member. The new system is expected to be rolled out this year.
The agency is leading a public consultation, and feedback can be submitted on its website in the "projects and consultation" section until August 12.
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