On Thursday, Gov. John Bel Edwards announced Louisiana’s new digital driver’s license app is available to the public.

It will enable an image of a physical Louisiana license to be displayed on cell phones, ensuring that Louisiana drivers who have their cell phones will always have access to their license. LA Wallet was created under Louisiana law of Act 625 by Baton Rouge Rep. Ted James.

“Most people never leave home without their smartphone, and with this app, they will never be without their driver’s license,” Edwards said. “State Police requested a ‘hands-off’ and ‘no-touch’ procedure that would not require them to hold a driver’s phone. Rep. Ted James who authored the legislation that led to the creation of this App is to be commended for his work as well as the team of Louisianans who designed it.”

The LA Wallet was jointly designed by Louisiana State Police, Department of Public Safety and the Office of Motor Vehicles (OMV). It was developed by Envoc, a Louisiana-based software development firm. The entire development team is made up of graduates of Louisiana universities.

LA Wallet is the first digital driver’s license app to be fully launched in the United States. While there are other apps in development, LA Wallet is the only app with a fully-functioning, open to the public version in the Apple App store.

LA Wallet is free to download, but an in-app purchase of $5.99 activates a citizen’s license or ID for legal acceptance. The digital license is valid for the life of the user’s license issuance. Once a user’s physical license expires, they must renew their license with the OMV and purchase a new digital license through LA Wallet.

“OMV is proud to make this app available to the public,” said OMV Commissioner Karen St. Germain. “The safety of the app has been tested with all industry-standard security measures and with pin number protection it is protected from anyone accessing a user’s license information. Also, it does not track nor ask to track the user’s location at any time. If a user’s phone is lost or stolen, the user can simply log into an online portal to unlink their license information from their mobile device.”

The user’s license information is always up-to-date. If a user updates their address or any other information before their license expires; the app will notify them that something has changed. They will not need to purchase a new license. Instead, they only need to unlink then relink their license.