Regula Adds Server-Side Mobile Driver’s Licence Verification to Document Reader SDK

Regula has updated its Document Reader SDK to support server-side verification of mobile driver’s licences conforming to ISO/IEC 18013-5, the internationally adopted standard for smartphone-based driving credentials. The new capability allows organizations to receive mDL presentation data from a user’s device and process it on the backend, rather than performing all cryptographic and data-integrity checks client-side or requiring a proprietary reader device at the point of verification.

A verifier’s backend server can now accept the ISO/IEC 18013-5 data payload, which contains the mdoc data structure, issuer-signed attributes, and device-signed data, then validate the issuer certificate chain, verify the device authentication signature, and extract confirmed identity attributes for use in downstream identity workflows. The server-side architecture addresses enterprise and regulated-sector deployments where client-side trust is constrained, where verification occurs in server-mediated channels such as online onboarding flows, and where central audit logging is a requirement.

Regula’s Document Reader SDK already processes over 13,000 document types from more than 247 countries and territories across its physical-document recognition pipeline. The mDL server-side capability extends that coverage to the growing installed base of ISO/IEC 18013-5 credentials now being issued by an expanding number of US states, European countries, and other jurisdictions. Earlier Regula Document Reader SDK updates in 2025 had added support for the new ISO facial data standard ahead of the ICAO 2026 deadline, .

Vendors are integrating ISO 18013-5 across multiple markets beyond the United States, including GBG and Mattr’s Australian mDL deployment. Commercial mDL verification at scale has also been growing, with TokenWorks and ONEPROOF rolling out ISO 18013-5 checks across more than 7,500 US business locations in 2025. The server-side design fits API-driven identity pipelines where verification decisions are made centrally rather than at the endpoint device, and platforms that need to log and audit every identity check for compliance purposes.

Sources: Regula Newsroom, Regula Document Reader SDK, ISO/IEC 18013-5

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By the ID Tech Editorial Team