IDEMIA Public Security and Trinsic Partner to Accelerate Mobile Driver’s License Adoption Across the U.S.
The partnership positions Trinsic as the acceptance layer for IDEMIA-issued mobile credentials, enabling organizations to securely and seamlessly accept mDLs online for onboarding, authentication, and identity verification workflows.
IDEMIA Public Security and Trinsic announced a strategic partnership on February 26, 2026, to accelerate the adoption of mobile driver’s licenses (mDLs) across the United States.
IDEMIA Public Security, a leading provider of secure biometric-based solutions and the top issuer of state-backed mDLs in the US, is teaming up with Trinsic, a key infrastructure provider for digital ID acceptance via its Identity Acceptance Network.
The partnership positions Trinsic as the acceptance layer for IDEMIA-issued mobile credentials. This enables organizations (businesses, enterprises, and regulated sectors) to securely and seamlessly accept mDLs online for onboarding, authentication, and identity verification workflows—often in just a few clicks using biometrics—replacing less secure methods like uploading physical ID images.
Key benefits include:
- Reduced fraud and improved user experience for consumers
- Faster (up to 10x) and more privacy-focused identity verification for businesses
- Greater utility and value for mDL holders in both public and private sectors
- Support for interoperability in an open digital trust ecosystem
The joint solution will initially support mDL acceptance in five states: New York, Arkansas, Iowa, West Virginia, and Kentucky, with plans to expand coverage further.
Executives emphasized the significance:
- Matt Cole, CEO of IDEMIA Public Security, highlighted fulfilling obligations to jurisdictions, delivering more value to constituents, enabling comprehensive identity services, and achieving fraud reduction with better UX at scale.
- Riley Hughes, CEO of Trinsic, noted the rapid acceleration of digital ID acceptance through combining IDEMIA’s deployment leadership with Trinsic’s network.
The collaboration includes upcoming joint demonstrations, educational materials, and industry events to promote mDL functionality and readiness. This addresses current fragmentation in mDL acceptance and aligns with growing momentum for digital IDs at state and federal levels in the US.
mDL Biometric Verification
Mobile driver’s license (mDL) biometric verification combines device-level security, cryptographic proofs from the issuing authority (like a state DMV), and optional live biometric checks to confirm both the credential’s authenticity and the presenter’s identity.
This process follows standards such as ISO/IEC 18013-5 for proximity (in-person) presentations and related extensions for online use, making mDLs far more secure than physical cards or photo uploads.
During issuance, applicants typically undergo identity validation, which often includes real-time selfie capture with liveness detection (e.g., head movements or depth mapping to prevent spoofing with photos or videos). These selfies are matched against the DMV’s stored photo to confirm the person is live and matches the record. Once approved, the mDL—containing signed data like name, birth date, photo portrait, and other attributes—is provisioned to the user’s smartphone wallet (e.g., Apple Wallet or Google Wallet), encrypted and stored in a secure element.
For everyday use, biometric verification primarily acts as an access control and consent mechanism on the holder’s device. To view, access, or present the mDL, the user must authenticate via the phone’s built-in biometrics—such as Face ID (facial recognition with 3D depth sensing and liveness checks), Touch ID (fingerprint), or a strong PIN.
This step ensures user presence and explicit consent: only the legitimate holder can authorize sharing data. For example, when presenting an mDL at a TSA checkpoint, bar, or online onboarding, the user unlocks the wallet with biometrics, selects what to share (often selectively, like just proving age >21), and approves transmission via NFC, Bluetooth, or QR code. The verifier’s reader or app then cryptographically validates the data’s signature against trusted state keys, confirming it hasn’t been altered.
In higher-assurance scenarios, additional biometric comparison occurs:
- Attended/offline verification (e.g., in-person at an airport): The verifier may visually compare the live person to the high-quality facial portrait transmitted from the mDL, or use automated tools to match a fresh capture (like a live face scan) against the embedded portrait data.
- Unattended setups can involve automated biometric matching, where the verifier captures a new sample (face or fingerprint) and compares it to data provisioned in the mDL, though this is less common in standard U.S. implementations as of 2026.
This layered approach—device biometrics for access/consent, cryptographic issuer validation, and optional live matching—greatly reduces fraud risks like impersonation or use of stolen devices, while enhancing privacy through selective disclosure and keeping raw biometrics on-device rather than transmitted.
In partnerships like IDEMIA and Trinsic, it enables fast, biometric-unlocked online flows that replace insecure photo uploads with secure, few-click verifications.
