Verification of identification or age is a major part of doing business today.
Iowa Mobile ID offers businesses a secure and convenient way to validate customer age and identity. Available on Apple and Android devices, this digital driver's license/ID provides a reliable alternative to physical cards, streamlining verification processes, and improving customer privacy and experience.
A mobile ID platform may use NFC "tap" and/or QR code technology for verification. For Iowa Mobile ID, check the technology used by each platform as this may assist you in determining a verification system. You may want to ensure your verifier can accommodate both technologies.
As Iowa Mobile ID adoption continues to grow, there's a lot to consider to make sure your business is ready to accept digital IDs. Review the information below to see if accepting Iowa Mobile ID is right for you and what you need to do to prepare.
Step 1 – Review Your Business Needs and Available Resources
How do you verify identity today?
If you currently verify an ID by scanning the 2D barcode or visually inspecting the physical card, please note these methods will not work with Iowa Mobile ID.
Iowa Mobile ID uses a secure QR code or NFC "tap" to share an ID.
What systems or tools are available to you right now?
Equipment to verify could include:
- Smartphones
- Tablets
- Point of sale systems
- Handheld scanners
- Online store
What IT engagement may be needed to support mobile ID?
You can:
- Push a mobile ID verification app to current equipment.
- Integrate a verify system into your established app, point of sale or online store.
- Build your own verification app, point of sale system or online store.
Step 2 – Choose the Verification Option that Works for You
Choose whether partnering with a verification vendor or building a verification system will work best for your business needs. The Iowa DOT does not require or endorse a specific verification method or vendor. Businesses should review their business needs to research the verification option that would work best for them.
The verification systems you choose must be ISO 18013-5 compliant and have Iowa’s public key. ISO standards can be found by visiting the ISO website and searching for “18013-5.” To gain Iowa’s public key, contact DOT.MobileID@iowadot.us.
Option 1 — Verify App
A verify app allows you to use a smartphone or tablet to scan the mobile ID user’s QR code or NFC to verify their age/identity and be assured that they are presenting a state-signed mobile ID. There are multiple verify apps available in the Apple and Google Play stores, so you can choose the one that works best for your organization.
Option 2 — API/SDK
Application Program Interface (API) / Software Development Kit (SDK)
An API or SDK can be integrated into an existing point-of-sale system or other verification system. Your online systems can be configured to accept Iowa Mobile ID to log into secure websites.
If you’ve been used to verifying an ID by scanning the 2D barcode or visually inspecting the physical card, please note these methods will not work with Iowa Mobile ID.
Verification Tools
These businesses have notified the DOT that they have verification tools available that accept mobile ID Tap (NFC) and QR code.
With most verification tools, you should be able to customize the information you want to request from your customer for the transaction. A best practice is to only ask for the information you need for your transaction.
Step 3 – Prepare Your Equipment, Staff, and Business for Rollout
Roll out any apps and/or software as needed.
Train your staff on how to verify with Iowa Mobile ID.
Encourage friends and family to download Iowa's Mobile ID from the App Store or Google Play and use it at your business.
Promote that you accept Iowa’s Mobile ID to your customers.
Iowa provides window clings and point-of-sale stickers to help remind your customers to use their mobile ID at your business.
If you wish, Iowa DOT will list your business name and locations on their website as an early adopter of mobile ID.
Sign Up
Join the Iowa Mobile ID Verifiers Program
Provide some information about yourself and your business and we will send you an email welcoming you to the program and a link to order promotional materials.
List items for Mobile ID for Businesses Frequently Asked Questions
The Mobile ID system will verify it is the individual – and only that person – because our system will read embedded security details in the individual’s physical license or ID. We’ll ensure the individual’s personal information matches our records and use facial recognition technology to make sure their selfie matches the picture in our records.
You can sign up to be listed on the DOT website as a business that accepts Iowa Mobile ID. Once signed up, you will receive an email with a link to order Iowa Mobile ID stickers for your business entrances and/or point-of-sale systems.
The adoption of mobile ID is on the rise. A recommended international standard (ISO 18013-5) for mobile IDs was developed in an effort to provide a seamless experience between states or countries. Iowa has followed that standard. For users from other states to use their mobile ID in Iowa, their mobile ID would need to follow that same standard and you would need to have that user’s state certificate information built into your verification system.
As you may not know if the customer’s mobile ID uses the same standard, you can quickly scan their mobile ID to see if it works. If it does not work, you can revert back to your current ID verification process.
The Iowa DOT uses the recommended international standard for mobile IDs (ISO 18013-5*) to securely place the ID onto the phone. A verification system would also need to follow this standard to be able to scan and read an Iowa Mobile ID.
Reading a mobile ID uses a combination of private and public keys. The DOT has a private key and uses it to electronically sign mID data for a mobile ID user and ensures it is provisioned to the proper device of the proper user. Everything from the user’s name to the portrait image to age is signed and can be verified by any capable mobile ID reader/verification system.
An ID-verifier must obtain the corresponding signed public key* (also called state certificates) in order to verify the signature on any data obtained from a mobile ID.
It is recommended that an ID-verifier only request the data needed for the business transaction. To check an ID, the mobile ID user initiates the exchange of information by displaying their mobile ID QR code or NFC to be scanned by the ID-verifier’s reader. Upon scanning, the two devices securely connect via a Bluetooth connection. The mID will then display a screen prompt where the mID user can consent to release the requested data. The two devices then exchange the signed driver license data via this connection. Once the data is obtained, the reader verifies the signature on the individual data elements using the public key. This ensures the data is genuine and unchanged.
When reviewing the information obtained from the mobile ID that is displayed on their reader, including the verified portrait, the ID-verifier should confirm that the mID user in front of them is the person in that verified portrait.
*ISO standards can be found by visiting the ISO website and searching for “18013-5.” To gain Iowa’s public key, contact DOT.MobileID@iowadot.us.
There are a lot of benefits for both using and accepting Iowa Mobile ID. Iowa Mobile ID is optional for citizens to use, and businesses are not required to accept it.
The Iowa DOT will still provide both physical and mobile ID/driver’s license options for the foreseeable future. The goal is not to replace physical driver’s licenses and IDs, but to encourage adoption of this emerging technology.
Iowa Mobile ID is not a replacement of the physical card; users must continue to carry their physical driver's license/ID card.
This technology is new, so the Iowa DOT will continually work with entities that frequently use driver's licenses/ID cards to familiarize them with Iowa Mobile ID and its uses. Over time, we expect mobile ID acceptance to grow.
