Mobile ID: your licence on your phone

It is the official electronic version of your driver’s licence or ID, stored securely on your smartphone. It is presented to a compatible reader, which receives only the information you authorise: the government describes it as a fast, protected and convenient way to identify yourself, and as a complement — not a substitute — for the plastic card.

You need a valid Puerto Rico ID or driver’s licence, of any category except the learner’s permit, with or without Real ID, and issued after 1 July 2016. As for hardware: an iPhone XS or later with iOS 18.1 or later, and an Apple Watch Series 6 or later with watchOS 11.0 or later; or a phone with Android 9 or later. On legal status, the official site says those recorded as citizen or permanent resident may request the mDL, and that persons flagged in the system as foreign national or immigrant, or with irregular migratory status (EMI), may not.

• A valid Puerto Rico driver’s licence or ID, of any category except the learner’s permit, with or without Real ID.Verified against the official source
• That the licence or ID was issued after 1 July 2016: only those are eligible.Verified against the official source
• For Apple: iPhone XS or later with iOS 18.1 or later; the Apple Watch requires Series 6 or later with watchOS 11.0 or later.Verified against the official source
• For Google: a phone with Android 9 or later.Verified against the official source
• Having the physical card at hand: verification consists of photographing the front and back. If you lost it or it is damaged, you must first request a duplicate with a CESCO appointment.Verified against the official source

• Your physical licence or ID, to scan front and back during the process.

1. 1

   Step 1: Understand what you are adding, and what you are not

   The Mobile ID is voluntary and it is a complement. The official site repeats it for both wallets: the licence or ID in Apple Wallet or Google Wallet does not replace your physical plastic licence or ID, and you must keep carrying it. If you do not want to add it, you do not have to.

2. 2

   Step 2: Adding it in Apple Wallet

   Open the Apple Wallet app on your iPhone, press the Add (+) button, select driver’s licence or official ID and choose Puerto Rico. Pick whether to add it only to the iPhone or also to the paired Apple Watch, and follow the instructions to scan the front and back of your card. The site asks for a well-lit room and a plain background, and that you confirm the information was captured clearly. Once the request is approved, you will see it in Apple Wallet. If you already have it on the iPhone and want it on the watch, do it from the Apple Watch app, under My Watch → Wallet & Apple Pay → "Other cards on your phone".

3. 3

   Step 3: Adding it in Google Wallet

   On your Android phone open Google Wallet, tap Add (+ Add to Wallet), tap ID, then Driver’s licence or state ID, and select Puerto Rico. Follow the instructions to scan the front and back of the card, in a well-lit room and with a plain background. When the request is approved, you will see it in Google Wallet.

4. 4

   Step 4: If it is rejected

   The site publishes the most common causes and nearly all are about the photo and video: do not record in a vehicle, use a white background such as a wall, remove hats and glasses, photograph the card on a neutral background such as a table, avoid glare covering the photo or the information, and use your most recent licence or ID. Also check your card is eligible and submit again. On Google, if it is still rejected with a valid card, the number the site gives is 787-977-2200, Monday to Friday 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. On Apple, if you physically cannot complete the gestures the process asks for, the site refers you to Apple at (800) APL-CARE, (800) 275-2273.

5. 5

   Step 5: How it is presented

   On iPhone or Apple Watch you double-press the side button, select the ID and bring the device near the reader; only after you authenticate with Face ID or Touch ID is the requested information released. On Android there are two ways: by NFC, with NFC and Bluetooth on, bringing the top of the phone near the reader; or by QR code, opening Google Wallet, selecting the ID and pressing "View Code" so the reader can scan it. In both cases the information travels digitally and you never have to show or hand over the phone.

6. 6

   Step 6: Where it is accepted — and where it is not

   The site mentions businesses and organisations with compatible mobile ID readers, apps requiring identity or age verification, and TSA checkpoints at selected airports, including Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport; for the most current information it points to TSA.gov/digital-id. And it carries an answer worth knowing before leaving your wallet at home: the Puerto Rico Police do not accept IDs in Google Wallet. The site answers that question for Google Wallet; this guide does not extend it to Apple Wallet because the site does not.

7. 7

   Step 7: Who can read it: the Puerto Rico Verifier

   On the business side, the government publishes the Puerto Rico Verifier app, which verifies mobile IDs from an iPhone or an Android with no extra readers or hardware — it requires an iPhone XR or later with iOS 17, or Android 8.0 or later. It validates over 18, over 21, over 65, and identity and photo, and per the page it reads mDLs from Apple Wallet, Google Wallet and other wallets from these jurisdictions: Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Montana, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Puerto Rico, Utah, Virginia and West Virginia.

8. 8

   Step 8: What happens if you renew, change phone or lose it

   If you renew or update your licence — a change of address, say — the information in the wallet updates automatically within 24 hours of the change being made in CESCO’s system. If you change phones, you may have to remove the ID and add it again on the new device, and likewise if you want to associate it with a different Apple ID. And if you lose the device, you can lock or erase it remotely from another device using Find My or iCloud.com, and you can also go to a CESCO to pause or remove the ID from that device.

From your own phone: in the Apple Wallet app or in Google Wallet, choosing Puerto Rico. You do not have to go to CESCO to add it, though you do to request a duplicate if you lack the physical card, and to pause or remove the ID from a lost device.

• Leaving the physical licence at home: the government says the Mobile ID does not replace it and you must keep carrying it.
• Relying on it with the Police: the official site says the Puerto Rico Police do not accept IDs in Google Wallet.
• Trying to add it with a learner’s permit or with a card issued before 1 July 2016.
• Recording the verification video in the car, wearing a cap or glasses, or with glare on the card.
• Assuming there is something to pay: adding and using the Mobile ID has no cost.
• Believing the government sees where you use it: the site says that history is encrypted and stored only on your device.

These are the government pages this guide is based on.

• Directoría de Servicios al Conductor (CESCO)

  CESCO

  www.idmovil.pr.gov

• Mobile ID (mDL) — General, Apple and Google frequently asked questions

  cesco

  www.idmovil.pr.gov

• Puerto Rico Verifier — the app with which a business verifies an mDL

  cesco

  www.idmovil.pr.gov