Major change to UK drivers licence to be introduced this year and will impact tens of millions

‘Phone, keys, ID’, the standard check of your bag and pat of your pockets is simply part of the routine before heading out the door.

Of course, the ID might be replaced by ‘cards’ or ‘wallet’ but either way, you’re probably not leaving the house without them. And for most of us, it’s our driving licence that we’re taking out to prove our age – something about a passport feels way too intense.

However, a major change to the UK driver’s licence is set to be introduced this year and it’s going to impact tens of millions of us. Yep, the check of your things might be getting cut down to just ‘phone and keys’ thanks to some new technology.

You might not need to carry it around for much longer. (Getty Stock)

After you and your mates constantly banging on about how much easier it would be, driving licenses are finally going to be digitised and made available on smartphones.

A new government smartphone app will be home to these digital licenses and could end up being used when asked for ID to buy alcohol, vote or even board domestic flights.

The scheme will be voluntary and drivers will still be issued will both provisional and full photocard driving licenses, but there’s no denying this would make things a whole lot easier. Plus, ministers reckon this digital option will ‘drag government into the 2020s’ according to The Times.

Plans for this new app and scheme are due to be announced next week in a ‘product launch’ event.

A government spokesperson said to BBC News of the change: "This government is committed to using technology to make people's lives easier and transform public services.

"Technology now makes it possible for digital identities to be more secure than physical ones, but we remain clear that they will not be made mandatory."

Your phone may be used to both prove and pay. (Getty Stock)

One game-changing feature could be that supermarkets may link its self-checkout technology with the digital license, meaning customers can scan to prove their age rather than standing around waiting for a staff member to approve it.

The new app, called Gov.uk, will likely feature a ‘wallet’ with the digital licence in and is said to have security features similar to banking apps so only the genuine owner can access it.

It’s reported other forms of identification will also be added, like national insurance numbers. And while there’s about 50 million Brits with full or provisional driving licences, the digitised versions won’t fully replace the physical ones.

It’ll simply be an alternative and bring us up to speed with the likes of Australia and Norway where digital driving licences are already a thing.