Digital ID to be accepted as proof of age in pubs and shops under new laws

Pubs and retail outlets will be permitted to accept digital ID as valid proof of age when purchasing alcohol under new laws.

The policy provides a modern alternative to carrying physical identity documents, enabling customers to use their mobile phones to verify their age in pubs, live concerts and festivals .

Taking effect on Tuesday, these statutory updates to the licensing act apply across commercial businesses in England and Wales .

However, officials anticipate that widespread adoption of the technology will take some time.

The digital proof will be delivered via third-party software such as Yoti, a service already deployed in specific contexts, such as verifying young filmgoers buying age-restricted cinema tickets.

Ministers intend to broaden digital age verification past retail alcohol purchases, targeting sales of tobacco products and vaping devices as the next immediate priority.

The move follows Prime Minister Andy Burnham cancelling a broader national digital ID project originally formulated during the tenure of his predecessor, Sir Keir Starmer.

Digital Government Minister Stephanie Peacock said: “From pubs and restaurants to music venues and festivals, licensed businesses carry out millions of age checks every year.

“It will remain an individual or business’ choice whether to use or adopt it, and physical ID will remain a valid way for customers to prove their age.

“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.”

Those buying alcohol will need to go through an authentication process to prove it is their ID each time they use it – for example by scanning their face or entering a code on the app.

This will then generate a token, such as a QR code, that remains valid for a window of around 30 seconds to guard against someone falsely using another person’s ID.

In some cases the user might enter a pin to verify themselves, with a photo then sent to a terminal that the bartender or person behind a till could use to compare to the person in front of them.

The Government has asked developers to make their systems interoperable so customers can have one ID app on their phone rather than being forced to download multiple apps to use at different retailers.