British citizens will soon be able to carry their passports, driving licenses, universal credit accounts, and marriage and birth certificates in a digital wallet on their phone.

The plan was announced by Peter Keir, Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, as part of a new smartphone app to simplify interaction with government services. He said this meant "drawers full of government mail and long waits for essential appointments could soon be a thing of the past".

The first government-issued credentials people can carry in the new digital wallet, which launches in June, will be driver's licenses and veterans' cards. The government's digital services plan will subsequently roll out access to accounts related to student loans, vehicle tax, benefits, childcare and local councils.

Kyle said his department was working with the Home Office to allow the use of digital versions of passports. Officials said these will continue to exist alongside physical copies, and the ability to use them to cross foreign borders will be limited by other countries' border systems.

"We are looking very closely at international standards and of course when those standards become clearer the Government will be keen to benefit as much as possible from them," Kyle said.

Officials said the digital wallet, similar to those found on Apple and Google devices, would be tied to a person's identity and be sufficient to prove a person's identity. For example, a new football coach on a community team will be able to instantly share their certificate of disclosure requirements, or someone who receives benefits will be able to easily claim a discount on their benefits from the trader who provides them. Kyle said there are currently no plans to use it to prove immigration status, but added: "We're just getting started."

Officials said losing a phone does not mean losing a wallet because there will be a recovery system. Kyle also sought to allay concerns about data breaches, saying the app was designed to be "very compliant with existing data laws".

"We will transform the relationship between citizens and the state, partly inspired by product launches in Silicon Valley," Kyle said while speaking at a launch event in east London.

He said people under 18 who grew up with smartphones would view today's governments and paper-based bureaucracies as backwards.

"Bringing government services more online does not mean those without internet access will be left behind," he said. “In fact, we find that the more we make online services more accessible... the more we as a government can start to focus our human resources on people who need them and only interact in a humane way... the more we will provide More public service to humanity, no less.”

The technology has been developed in the past six months since Labor came to power and will include security features built into modern smartphones, including facial recognition checks.