Pubgoers will be able to prove their age using their smartphones by next Christmas under government plans for digital IDs.
With more customers now using their devices to pay rather than carrying cash or cards, ministers want to enable people to also leave their passports and driving licences at home.
Under the plans, drinkers will be able to prove their age by having a QR code on an app scanned when buying alcohol in pubs, restaurants and shops. The QR code will only show whether the person is old enough to buy the product, and will not contain other information contained on IDs like their address or date of birth.
Ministers are introducing the change through the Data (Use and Access) Bill, and hope to have it up and running by the end of next year. Companies that already supply private ID, such as Yoti - a digital ID app - will have to apply to get a kitemark which certifies that they handle data securely. There will also be a change to the Licensing Act to enable people to use digital IDs to prove their age.
"The aim is to begin by digitalising existing identity documents," a Government source told the Sunday Times.
The Home Office is understood to have been examining plans to introduce digital driving licences. Ministers are also expanding the rollout of the Government's 'One Login' service, which replaces duplicate systems with a single account and an identity-checking system. It will bring government services into one place, with only one password needed to access services from benefits to tax. It could provide a unique digital identity for citizens.
Government data suggests users already save an average of six minutes each time they access a new service. So far more than five million people have proved their identity through Gov.uk One Login.
Estonia has pioneered the rollout of digital government services, with state-issued digital ID which people use for everything from banking to managing health appointments. The digital IDs are issued at birth, and 99 percent of the Estonian population has one. The scheme is estimated to save each Estonian five days a year when dealing with bureaucracy.