Alcohol and Tobacco Control News Releases

The Division of Alcohol and Tobacco Control is exploring potential solutions that will allow it to once again provide a free mobile application that, until recently, has assisted Missouri alcohol and tobacco merchants in verifying the authenticity of driver licenses and other forms of state-issued IDs. ATC’s contract with Vivayic, the developer of the “Show-Me ID” app, expired on Sept. 30. Vivayic informed ATC that it will no longer support custom apps moving forward.

“Because the Show-Me ID app was helpful to alcohol and tobacco retailers and enforcement personnel, we are working with state partners to explore potential options for restoring the app’s capabilities,” ATC Acting State Supervisor Christin Templeton said. “We are in an exploratory phase and do not have a timeline at this point.”

While the Show-Me ID app is no longer available for new downloads, mobile users who had previously downloaded the app may continue to use it as long as it remains compatible with the device’s operating system requirements. There are some users who still find the app useful and prefer to continue using it among other tools to assist with verifying IDs. In addition to scanning barcodes, the app offers other functionality such as manual entry of dates of birth entry to calculate age, a ‘born after’ calendar, and ID Checking Steps. ATC reminds these users that the app was intended as one tool to assist in verifying ID authenticity among other verification techniques.

Retailers interested in learning more about ID checking and liquor and tobacco laws are encouraged to contact their local ATC district office to obtain the date of the next ATC Server Training or to schedule a class. Those who continue to use the Show-Me ID app should understand it is not reliable at determining the validity of Missouri IDs issued after October 2024, and quality carding techniques must be utilized to protect retailers and their employees from illegal sales to minors.

Since it was launched on April 1, 2021, with funding support from MoDOT’s Highway Safety and Traffic Division, the Show-Me ID app has been used to scan over 3 million IDs. Restaurants, bars, and package stores typically used the free app to verify the authenticity of Missouri IDs and those from other states. ATC first began educating retail employees about the difficulty with the app during server trainings in early 2025 and later removed the app from the Apple and Android app stores to prevent any new downloads as it attempted to address the issue.

For more information, call 573-751-5432 or e-mail mike.oconnell@dps.mo.gov