The industry hoped the announcement would give some clarity on how digital ID would affect alcohol sales, but as the focus shifts to illegal working, the sector continues to await guidance on how to prepare.
The Government has promised pubgoers they will be able to use digital ID in bars by Christmas 2025, but we are yet to receive clarity on what this will look like.
What we know so far:
Data (Use and Access) Act 2025
On 19 June 2025, the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025 (‘the Act’) became law in the UK.
The Act allows people to choose to use digital IDs on their phone to prove their age when buying alcohol in pubs, clubs, restaurants and other licensed venues.
It paves the way for digital IDs to be added to the list of accepted age verification methods, alongside traditional forms like passports and driver’s licenses.
While the act is law, we await secondary legislation to bring the act into force. The Government has assured pubgoers they will be able to use digital IDs by Christmas 2025, but we are yet to receive guidance on how to prepare and accept digital IDs in licensed venues.
To supplement the act, a digital identity framework will set out rules and standards on what good digital ID looks like. Digital verification service providers must become independently certified against the framework and once certified, users will be able to trust that the provider is reliable.
The provision of digital ID for the sale of alcohol is voluntary, and promises customers a safe and secure way to prove their age without carrying physical documents.
One issue that will need to be addressed is the relevance of existing conditions on premises licences that only permit physical forms of ID. While the suggestion is that secondary legislation will update the mandatory condition, it is not clear how any conditions requiring physical forms of ID under annex two or three will be dealt with. It may be that variation applications are required where this is not dealt with via secondary legislation.
What does this mean for landlords and retailers?
Landlords and retailers will be able to scan digital ID to verify a customer’s age. The suggestion is this will be done by scanning a QR code, or by using similar technology to what we see in our contactless bank cards.
Landlords will be able to choose from a register of digital verification service providers to help them check the validity of the ID presented to them. Verifying age in this way will allow customers to protect other personal information, such as their home address.
This move hopes to improve the safety of women and girls, and other vulnerable persons, on nights out.
- Elizabeth Varley is a solicitor at Poppleston Allen
