Most customers leave home with their phone. Fewer remember their passport or driving licence.
For pubs, bars, restaurants and hotels, that is a familiar problem. Staff can find themselves explaining why a photo of an ID document on somebody’s phone is not enough, even when the customer is clearly expecting it to be accepted.
As of 15 September 2026, the rules have changed. Licensed premises in England and Wales can now accept approved digital proof of age when selling alcohol.
But that does not mean every image, app or digital document counts as valid ID.
What has changed?
The new rules give licensed premises another way to verify that a customer is old enough to buy alcohol.
Alongside traditional physical ID such as a passport, driving licence or suitable proof-of-age card, customers can now use digital proof of age provided through an approved Digital Verification Service, or DVS.
The service must be certified and listed on the government’s statutory DVS register. The digital check also needs to meet the required level of confidence and confirm that the proof of age belongs to the person presenting it.
For venues, adopting digital ID is entirely voluntary. You can choose to accept it alongside physical documents or continue with your existing physical ID checks.
The change applies to licensed premises in England and Wales.
What hasn’t changed?
The legal age for buying alcohol has not changed. Neither has your responsibility to prevent underage sales.
Licence holders still need an age-verification policy, and staff involved in selling alcohol still need to understand and follow it. Challenge 25 policies can also continue to operate as before.
Importantly, a photograph or screenshot of somebody’s passport or driving licence on their phone is not the same thing as an approved digital proof of age.
Government guidance says venues accepting digital ID must use a registered DVS to verify it. Staff should not rely simply on looking at something displayed on a customer’s screen to decide whether it is genuine.
So the principle remains familiar: if a customer cannot provide acceptable proof of age when required, the sale should not go ahead.
What does this mean for your venue?
The first decision is whether you want to accept digital ID at all.
There is no requirement to introduce it, so businesses should consider whether it suits their customers, systems and operating model.
If you do adopt it, you will need to choose a suitable service from the government’s DVS register and understand how it works at the point of sale. Providers are commercial services, so it is also worth checking any set-up, transaction or ongoing costs directly with them. The government register confirms which services are registered but does not publish providers’ commercial pricing.
You should also review your age-verification policy, so staff know exactly which forms of ID your venue accepts.
Are your staff ready to check digital ID?
Technology may be changing, but the person behind the bar still has to make the right call.
Staff need to know how an approved digital check should work, what they should not accept, when to ask for ID and how to handle a refusal confidently if a customer cannot prove their age.
That is where consistent training matters.
Me Learning’s Challenge 25 awareness course helps staff understand why age checks matter and how to apply a Challenge 25 policy consistently. It can support both new starters and existing teams as venues update their processes for digital ID.
What should venues do now?
Review your current age-verification policy and decide whether digital proof of age is right for your business.
If you plan to accept it, choose a registered provider, make the process clear and make sure every member of staff who sells alcohol understands what acceptable digital ID looks like.
The method of checking ID is changing. The responsibility behind the check is not.
Explore Me Learning’s hospitality training and make sure your team has the confidence to handle age verification consistently.
