The UK is developing a digital driving licence

The UK government is developing a digital driving licence, according to the BBC.

The smartphone licence being developed by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) is currently at the prototype stage but it could be available by 2018, the BBC reports.

Oliver Morley, CEO of the DVLA, tweeted a preview of the digital driving licence last Friday, saying: "So here's a little prototype of something we're working on."

The photo shows what the licence might look like on an iPhone, where it would be stored in Apple's "Wallet" along with digital versions of debit cards, credit cards, gift cards, boarding passes, and other vouchers.

The licence is designed to be an "add-on" to the existing plastic licence as opposed to a direct replacement, Morley is reported to have told the BBC.

So here's a little prototype of something we're working on #drivinglicence pic.twitter.com/a5eItrdiNI

- Oliver Morley (@omorley1) May 13, 2016

Chris Green, technology analyst at the business consultancy Lewis, told the BBC that digital wallets were "a massively underrated and under-exploited resource."

"People are getting more and more used to the technology because of e-ticketing," he said. "People are far more comfortable with the concept of keeping key information on their smartphone."

The UK government is also looking to digitise passports and NHS patient records.