Legislation Watch: Digital ID Age Checks for Alcohol Sales Move Closer in England and Wales

The Home Office has laid a draft Order that would allow licensed premises in England and Wales to accept digital identification as proof of age for alcohol sales. The change was announced on 30 June 2026 on the government’s Enabling digital identity blog, which set out that customers would be able to prove their age using digital checks from a registered digital verification service (DVS) provider, alongside traditional documents such as passports and driving licences.¹

What is changing

At present, the Mandatory Licensing Conditions under the Licensing Act 2003 require proof of age to carry either a holographic mark or an ultraviolet feature. That wording has kept age checks anchored to physical documents, since a pass held on a phone cannot carry a hologram.^1,5 The draft Licensing Act 2003 (Mandatory Licensing Conditions) (Amendment) Order 2026 removes that barrier by allowing a responsible person at a licensed premises to accept identification in digital form.²

The new route comes with conditions of its own. A digital check must be delivered by a DVS provider registered with the Office for Digital Identities and Attributes (OfDIA), to at least a medium level of confidence as defined in the UK digital verification services trust framework, the standards regime given statutory footing by the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025. The check must also validate, through secure technological means, that the identity information belongs to the person presenting it. Simply showing a member of staff an image on a screen will not qualify.^1,3,4

What it means for pubs, shops and retailers

The reform is built on choice. Licensed premises will not be required to accept digital ID, customers will not be required to use it, and physical documents remain valid throughout. A premises that wishes to offer digital checks will need an agreement with a registered DVS provider.¹

For operators who opt in, we think the practical appeal is clear. Digital checks can be quicker at a busy bar or checkout, they give staff a straightforward confirmation that a customer meets the age threshold, and a check made through secure technological means is designed to be harder to fool than a visual inspection of a plastic card. Depending on the service used, a digital check can also confirm that a customer is old enough without exposing the rest of their personal details, which many customers may prefer to handing over a passport.

There are practical questions to work through as well. Operators who choose to accept digital ID will need to update their age verification policies and train their teams, smaller businesses will want registered services to be affordable and simple to adopt, and venues will still need a consistent approach for customers whose phone battery has died or who do not use digital ID at all. Nothing in the draft Order changes the law on underage sales, and Challenge 25 style policies will remain at the heart of responsible retailing.

When the change takes effect

The Order was laid in draft on 30 June 2026 and must be approved by both Houses of Parliament before it can be made and brought into force. The Home Office has said it will share an updated implementation timetable soon, and revised statutory guidance will follow once the legislation is in force. The change applies to England and Wales only; Scotland and Northern Ireland make their own licensing law and operate under their own regimes.^1,2

Our view: what this means for the UK alcohol sector

Alcohol Ltd’s position is that the rules governing the sale of alcohol should keep pace with how people actually order, pay and prove who they are. This reform does that in a proportionate way, and it sits naturally alongside our wider licensing work. It modernises a condition written around holograms without weakening the underlying check, it keeps the decision in the hands of individual operators, and it preserves physical ID for the many customers who will continue to rely on it.

Digital identity will not suit every venue or every customer, and take-up will depend on cost, reliability and public trust. Handled well, though, this is a sensible step that supports responsible retailing, reduces friction for staff and customers, and strengthens confidence in age checks across the trade. We will follow the Order’s progress through Parliament and report on the implementation timetable and statutory guidance as the Home Office publishes them.

Primary Sources

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.