Does a Louisiana business have to accept LA Wallet, the state's digital driver's license app, as valid ID instead of a physical card?

Plain-English summary

A state representative asked the AG whether businesses operating in Louisiana have to accept LA Wallet, the state's digital driver's license app, as valid identification. The request noted that some nationwide chains with Louisiana locations were refusing to accept it. The AG's answer is yes, businesses must accept it.

The analysis rests on a single statute, La. R.S. 39:17.2. Under that law, any credential the state authorizes or requires can be made available in digitized format through a program a user accesses via an electronic wallet, and a digitized credential downloaded through an application onto a mobile device is just as valid as the physical, tangible version. Louisiana built LA Wallet, a digital driver's license app for Apple and Android devices, to implement that program. Because the statute uses the word "shall," which La. R.S. 1:3 defines as mandatory, the AG read the acceptance requirement as compulsory rather than optional.

The opinion is short and does not weigh any counterarguments (such as a business's general right to set its own ID policies, or federal/franchise-level ID rules a national chain might otherwise want to apply); it simply applies the statute's plain "shall" language to the specific fact pattern presented.

What this means for you

Retail, restaurant, and bar owners in Louisiana who check ID. Per this opinion, an LA Wallet digital driver's license, downloaded to a customer's phone, must be accepted the same as a physical Louisiana driver's license. Store policies that reject digital IDs outright and demand a physical card only are not consistent with this opinion's reading of La. R.S. 39:17.2.

Nationwide chains with Louisiana locations. If your corporate ID-verification policy was written before LA Wallet existed or does not account for state-specific digital credential laws, this opinion signals that a blanket "physical ID only" policy conflicts with Louisiana law at Louisiana locations.

LA Wallet users. If a Louisiana business refuses your LA Wallet digital ID, this opinion is the state's own legal position that the digital credential must be accepted as valid, though the opinion itself does not describe an enforcement mechanism or penalty for a business that refuses.

Legislators and regulators. The opinion applies existing statutory text rather than announcing new rulemaking. If enforcement gaps persist (the opinion doesn't say who enforces this or how), that would be a legislative or regulatory follow-up question, not something this opinion resolves.

Common questions

Q: Does LA Wallet replace a physical driver's license, or do I still need to carry the plastic card?
A: The opinion addresses acceptance by businesses, not whether Louisiana requires you to carry a physical card at all. It confirms the digital version is "as valid as" the tangible one for identification purposes under La. R.S. 39:17.2(B).

Q: What if a business's own policy just doesn't have a way to scan or verify a digital ID?
A: The opinion does not address the mechanics of verification or provide a business with an exception for lacking scanning technology; it simply states the statutory requirement to accept the credential as valid.

Q: Does this apply to other digitized state credentials besides driver's licenses?
A: The statute's language is broader than just driver's licenses. It applies to "any credential authorized or required by the state" made available through an electronic wallet program under La. R.S. 39:17.2(A), so the same reasoning would likely extend to other state-issued digital credentials, though this opinion specifically discusses LA Wallet.

Background and statutory framework

The digitized credential statute. La. R.S. 39:17.2(A) allows any state-authorized or state-required credential to be made available in digitized format through a program accessible via an electronic wallet on a mobile device. Subsection (B) provides that a digitized credential downloaded through such an application is as valid as a tangible credential. Subsection (D) directs the commissioner of administration to promulgate rules implementing the program and its accessibility.

LA Wallet. Louisiana developed LA Wallet, a digital driver's license application available on both Apple and Android platforms, to implement the digitized-credential program authorized by La. R.S. 39:17.2.

The mandatory-language rule. La. R.S. 1:3 establishes that "shall" is mandatory language in Louisiana statutes, as opposed to "may," which is permissive. The AG relied on this rule to conclude that the "as valid as a tangible credential" language in La. R.S. 39:17.2(B) is a requirement, not a suggestion.

Liz Murrill is the Attorney General of Louisiana. Chimène St. Amant signed the opinion as Assistant Attorney General.

Citations and references

Statutes:
- La. R.S. 39:17.2(A) (state credentials may be digitized for electronic wallet access)
- La. R.S. 39:17.2(B) (digitized credential is as valid as a tangible credential)
- La. R.S. 39:17.2(D) (commissioner of administration rulemaking authority)
- La. R.S. 1:3 ("shall" is mandatory)

Source

• Landing page: https://www.ag.state.la.us/Opinions
• Original PDF: https://www.ag.state.la.us/Opinion/Download/25-0055

Original opinion text

Best-effort transcription from a scanned PDF. Minor errors may remain, the linked PDF is authoritative.

STATE OF LOUISIANA
DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL
P.O. Box 94005
BATON ROUGE, LA 70804-9005

LIZ MURRILL
ATTORNEY GENERAL

June 30, 2025

OPINION 25-0055

61 LAWS - General
La. R.S. 39:17.2, La. R.S. 1:3

Honorable Dixon Wallace McMakin
Representative District 68
3613 Perkins Rd, Unit F
Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70808

LA Wallet must be accepted as a valid form of identification in business establishments in the state of Louisiana.

Dear Representative McMakin:

We received your request regarding the acceptance of digitized credentials, such as LA Wallet, as valid forms of identification in the state of Louisiana. You note that it has come to your attention that some nationwide companies with branches in Louisiana do not accept LA Wallet as proof of identity in their Louisiana stores.

Question: Must LA Wallet be accepted as a valid form of identification in business establishments in the state of Louisiana?

Conclusion: Yes. It is clear that any digitized credential downloaded through an application on a mobile device as provided in La. R.S. 39:17.2 shall be as valid as a tangible credential in the State of Louisiana.

Any credential authorized or required by the state may be made available in digitized format on a program which a user can utilize through an electronic wallet. La. R.S. 39:17.2(A). Any digitized credential downloaded through an application on a mobile device as provided herein shall be as valid as a tangible credential. La. R.S. 39:17.2(B). The commissioner of administration is directed by law to promulgate rules and regulations to implement the program and to develop the accessibility of any digitized credential available for use in an electronic wallet. La. R.S. 39:17.2(D).

In compliance with the above provisions, Louisiana developed LA Wallet, a digital driver's license application supported by both Apple OS and Android. Because a digitized driver's license may be downloaded through this application onto a mobile device, the law mandates it is valid as a tangible credential. See La. R.S. 39:17.2. Louisiana Revised Statute 1:3 states that the word "shall" is mandatory. Therefore, it is the opinion of this office that LA Wallet must be accepted as a valid form of identification in business establishments in the state of Louisiana.

[Footnote 1: https://www.doa.la.gov/doa/ots/tech-spotlight/la-wallet/]

We hope that this opinion has adequately addressed the legal issues you have raised. If our office can be of any further assistance, please do not hesitate to contact us.

With best regards,

LIZ MURRILL
ATTORNEY GENERAL

BY:
Chimène St. Amant
Assistant Attorney General

LM: CS