Officials in the Last Frontier State have introduced the Alaska Mobile ID, a mobile license and identity credential — to increase convenience for residents, but also security, officials said.
“Unlike a traditional card, which can be lost, stolen or easily copied, a digital ID is protected by multiple layers of security, including your phone’s biometric authentication — like face ID or fingerprint — and encryption,” Kate Sheehan, policy adviser with the Office of the Commissioner in the Alaska Department of Administration, said in an email.
The state is working with the technology company Thales to support the upgrade, Thales said in late January.
“Plus, when you use it, only the necessary information is shared,” Sheehan said. “So you don’t have to hand over your full ID with all your details like you would with a physical card. This helps protect against identity theft and fraud.”
To access a mobile ID, users download the Alaska Mobile ID app. Alaska’s mobile ID is registered with the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators (AAMVA) Digital Trust Service, a system supporting states with mobile credentials. The app was released in March 2025, and now has nearly 5,100 dowloaded mobile credentials, according to Sheehan. Alaska charges no additional fee to get a digital driver’s license.
OREGON
It’s not just routine tasks like vehicle registration renewals that drivers in Oregon can accomplish online. The state’s Department of Motor Vehicles’ online offerings include crash reports, fee payments, checking the status of driving privileges and more.
These are some of the more than 30 types of transactions handled by DMV2U, the state’s online portal. In the last year, DMV customers submitted just under 1.5 million transactions, Chris Crabb, a public information officer for the Oregon Department of Transportation in its Driver and Motor Vehicle Services division, said.
By January, less than a year after adding the collision report feature to DMV2U, some 51 percent of collision reports are now submitted online, with the DMV only receiving “20 or so mailed reports each day,” Crabb said in an email.
“This online solution is enhancing customer service and has improved processing times as well as vehicle safety,” she said. “These online reports go directly to DMV in real time, and ease data entry for insurance verification as well as crash analysis for safety improvements.”
The DMV released its How to DMV2U video series of six instructional videos on the agency’s YouTube channel last week — targeting the top six transactions customers ask about, covering areas like vehicle registration and renewal, address changes and title applications.
“Our customers are our primary focus, and we are continually modernizing and looking for ways to improve their experience and save them time,” Crabb said. “We understand not everyone is comfortable using digital technology. These six videos are designed to help people with some of the more common questions our front-line staff receives regarding DMV2U.”
DMV2U debuted in 2019 as part of the “Oregon DMV Service Transformation Program,” which replaced an old mainframe system with the new Oregon License Issuance and Vehicle Registration, dubbed OLIVR. Prior to OLIVR, Oregon drivers had only three online transactions available. Since its release, OLIVR has undergone upgrades with new capabilities like replacing a driver’s license or registration, ordering a driving record report and others.
“While DMV2U was not a result of the [COVID-19] pandemic, we were fortunate the phase 2 rollout happened when it did,” Crabb said. “We were able to pivot and add additional functionality to allow appointments, something not offered before the pandemic.”
In 2023 the Oregon DMV introduced knowledge testing as part of its online features, with six additional languages offered in November 2024. More than 30 percent of test-takers used the online testing feature last year, Crabb said.
