Digital identity firm Yoti has partnered with compliance software provider Licensing Connect to help UK pubs, bars, and shops accept digital IDs as proof of age for alcohol sales, ahead of a rule change that will make such checks legally valid.
The partnership targets a coming amendment to the Mandatory Licensing Conditions that will let people prove their age with digital IDs certified against the UK government’s Digital Verification Services (DVS) Trust Framework, the scheme under which the government accredits digital identity providers. The change is expected in autumn 2026. To prepare, Yoti’s Digital ID Connect ID Checker has been built into the Licensing Connect app, which licensed premises already use for staff training and record-keeping tools such as a refusals register and incident book.
In practice, a customer shows a QR code from their digital ID app and a staff member scans it with the ID Checker on any smartphone, confirming the ID is genuine, belongs to the customer, and clears the age threshold. Crucially, the customer shares only an age result, such as over 18, rather than a full document, so the business collects no unnecessary personal data. The app can also log an age challenge to the refusals register automatically, creating an audit trail.
“The acceptance of digital IDs for alcohol sales is a significant milestone for the UK, giving people a new, trusted way to prove their age in convenience stores, bars, pubs and nightclubs,” said Yoti CEO Robin Tombs. Licensing Connect founder David Dadds framed the appeal in risk terms, noting that staff are often expected to make difficult age judgements and can face serious consequences for accepting fake or fraudulent documents.
The rollout follows the government’s move to allow Digital Verification Services for alcohol age checks, itself built on the framework the UK set out when it published its Digital Verification Services Trust Framework in pre-release form. Getting licensed venues integrated ahead of the autumn change is the practical step that turns a certified digital ID into something a bartender can actually accept.
Adoption at the point of sale is where age-assurance policy meets daily practice, and readying tills and door staff now is what determines whether the rule change becomes a usable option or a paper entitlement.
Sources: Yoti
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By Cass Kennedy
