Digital Verification now available for alcohol sales

16 Sep 2026 11:31 AM

From yesterday (15 September) businesses can accept digital proof of age for alcohol sales. 

It was announced today that pubs, bars, restaurants, music venues and other licensed premises across England and Wales will be able to introduce digital proof of age for alcohol sales under new rules coming into force on 15 September.

Under the new rules, customers will be able to prove their identity digitally when buying alcohol, using services certified under the UK’s Digital Verification Trust Framework, rather than relying solely on physical ID. This remains optional and physical IDs will still be accepted.

techUK welcomes this change as another significant, real-world use case for digital verification services, building on the sector's growing role across the UK economy. The UK's digital identity sector already generates £2.05 billion a year and employs over 10,000 people. Continued use-case adoption will bring economic and social benefits, as well as delivering trust, security and privacy for citizens.

We encourage the government and industry to continue to work together to ensure the ambitious rollout of digital verification use cases — delivering everyday benefits for citizens and further economic growth for the UK. techUK is pleased to be discussing the wider policy direction of digital verification services on 15 October, as part of our annual summit. Find out more about the Digital Identity Summit.

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