I have been talking about mobile driver’s licenses for years, ever since my then-employer IDEMIA began issuing them almost a decade ago. When accepted, mobile driver’s licenses can function as the physical equipment of your physical driver’s license. Even at the airport.
But you know what we haven’t had? Mobile birth certificates.
Mobile driver’s licenses vs. mobile birth certificates
Part of the problem is the complexity of the birth certificate ecosystem.
- Yes, there are over 50 driver’s license issuers in the United States alone, and each issuer potentially has dozens of license types (license, ID card, commercial license, license under 21, license under 18, ID card under 21, ID card under 18, etc.). And their format potentially changes every few years. Incode and its competitors recognize thousands upon thousands of driver’s license types.
- Birth certificates are even more diverse. Issued by states or counties, and issued in innumerable formats over the past 100 years. My birth certificate, issued…some time ago in Cook County, Illinois, probably looks extremely different from the birth certificate of a 2026 Cook County newborn. Could the identity verfication vendors even BEGIN to recognize all the different birth certificates?
Actually, some have. Several years ago when performing analysis research for a Bredemarket client, I looked at a number of these offerings, including VitalChek.
Mobile birth certificates in Arizona
Which brings us to the news from Arizona.
“Arizona has become the first U.S. state to let residents present a verified digital birth credential from a smartphone during Motor Vehicle Division (MVD) transactions, eliminating the need for a paper birth certificate in eligible cases.
“The program, developed by LexisNexis Risk Solutions, the Arizona Department of Health Services and the Arizona Department of Transportation, delivers the credential through VitalChek.”
So, when accepted, the Arizona mobile birth certificate (I’m calling it an mBC until someone forces me to stop) can function as the equivalent of a physical birth certificate.
What about YOUR mobile birth certificate product?
The birth certificate is probably the most important document you can have. If mobile versions of birth certificates take off, it will be revolutionary.
If your company offers mBCs and needs help marketing your product, let’s set up a free meeting to discuss how Bredemarket can help you with content, proposal, or analysis services.
Ask before the courage fails.
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