What government credentials can be issued with VCALM?

Any government-issued credential can be expressed as a W3C Verifiable Credential: driver's licenses, professional licenses (ambulance driver, contractor, cosmetologist), age verification certificates, vehicle registration, and residency proof. Each is signed JSON the resident holds and controls.

Government IDs & licensing with VCALM

Q: Can I prove I am over 21 without revealing my exact birthdate?

Yes. With selective disclosure, a resident can prove a single derived fact — such as 'age ≥ 21' — without revealing name, exact birthdate, home address, or license number. Only the attribute requested is shared, and the resident consents to each presentation with one tap.

Q: Does a digital government ID lock residents to a government-approved app?

Not with VCALM. The credential works with any conformant wallet, so residents keep their choice of app. The mdoc / ISO 18013-5 approach (used for mobile driver's licenses in many US states) often pairs with device attestation and a state-maintained list of certified wallets — which means the agency has to certify and maintain an integration for every app it supports.

Q: Why VCALM vs. mDL / ISO 18013-5?

The ISO 18013-5 mobile driver's license requires device attestation, MDOC encoding, and state certification of every wallet. With VCALM you issue once to an open W3C standard and any conformant wallet works — no per-app certification the agency has to own, no closed ecosystem.

Issue government credentials that residents truly control — verifiable at a bar, an employer, a government portal, or a partner service, with the wallet of their choice, and without handing over a photocopy of their full ID.

To issue a digital driver's license or professional license, an agency signs it as a W3C Verifiable Credential and delivers it to the resident's wallet of choice over VCALM (the VC API). A business or service verifies it cryptographically — no real-time DMV lookup — and with selective disclosure the resident can prove one fact, like "over 21" or "licensed to operate," without revealing home address, exact birthdate, or license number.

Agency issues a credential

Driver's license, professional license, or age certificate
Resident holds and controls it

Nothing shared without one-tap, explicit consent
Proves one fact

Over 21 — no home address, no exact birthdate revealed

What it feels like to use

The technology disappears. Here is what each person actually does — and what they no longer have to.

The agency issues a credential

A resident applies through the agency's portal or in person. They authenticate once, pick the wallet they already use, and the credential lands in it — a digital copy of their license or certificate, signed by the agency.

No government-mandated app. Their wallet, their choice.
The resident holds and controls it

The credential lives on their phone, under their control. Nothing is shared automatically — every presentation needs an explicit, one-time approval the resident sees and consents to.

The agency cannot watch where it is used after issuance.
They prove just one thing, when needed

At a bar, the resident taps to prove "age ≥ 21" — and reveals nothing else. No home address, no exact birthdate, no license number. At a job site, they prove "valid Class A CDL" and the employer gets confirmation — not a full ID scan.

Selective disclosure: minimum data, every time.

What the resident experiences

Their choice of wallet. Not a state-approved app.
Prove a fact, not your full ID. "Over 21" without your home address.
One-tap consent. Nothing leaves the phone without approval.
No tracking. The agency doesn't see each use.

What the agency experiences

Privacy by design. Data minimization built into every request.
Instant, tamper-evident checks. No real-time DMV lookup.
No wallet certification burden. Any conformant wallet works.
Standards-based. Built on open W3C Verifiable Credentials.

Credential types

Any government-issued document can be expressed as a W3C Verifiable Credential:

Driver's licenses — state-issued, class-coded, with expiry.
Professional licenses — ambulance driver, contractor, cosmetologist, nurse. Prove the license is current without showing the full credential.
Age verification — derived "age ≥ N" without revealing exact birthdate or address.
Vehicle registration — ownership proof that travels with the vehicle, not just in the glove box.
Residency certificates — prove you live in a jurisdiction for benefit eligibility or in-state tuition, without sharing your full address.

How it works

One diagram, three actors, one loop.

     AGENCY               RESIDENT              BUSINESS / SERVICE
    (issuer)          (wallet of choice)           (verifier)
     |                      |                          |
     | -- delivers -->      |                          |
     |  license VC           |                          |
     |                      | <-- asks for --           |
     |                      |   "over 21"               |
     |                      | -- presents -->           |
     |                      |   only "yes"              |
     |                      |                     verifies (ok)

A government credential is signed JSON the resident holds and controls.
Delivery (agency → resident) and presentation (resident → verifier) are the same simple exchange loop: POST, read what the server wants, POST back.
With selective disclosure, the resident proves a single derived fact — "age ≥ 21," "license is valid and current" — without revealing name, exact birthdate, home address, or license number.

A good fit if…

You issue identity, license, or entitlement credentials to residents.
You want residents to use their own wallet, not a state-certified app list.
You need selective disclosure — prove a derived fact without a full ID scan.
You want cryptographic verification without a real-time registry lookup.

Start building

Common questions

Can I prove I am over 21 without revealing my exact birthdate?

Yes. With selective disclosure, a resident proves a single derived fact — "age ≥ 21," "valid license" — without revealing name, exact birthdate, home address, or license number.

Does a digital government ID lock residents to a government app?

Not with VCALM — the credential works with any conformant wallet. The ISO 18013-5 / mDL approach often requires device attestation and a state-maintained list of certified apps.

Is a VCALM government credential private?

Yes. Data minimization is built into every request, nothing is shared without one-tap consent, and the agency cannot observe where the credential is used.

Why VCALM vs. mDL / ISO 18013-5?

The ISO 18013-5 mobile driver's license requires MDOC encoding, device attestation, and state certification of every wallet. With VCALM, you issue once to an open W3C standard and any conformant wallet works — no per-app certification the agency has to own or maintain. See the full comparison.

Government IDs &amp; licensing with VCALM