Minnesota DNR set to launch new electronic licensing app this spring

MANKATO, Minn. (KEYC) - The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources says it’s getting ready for the launch of a new Electronic Licensing System (ELS) app this spring, to make it easier for hunters and anglers to buy licenses online.

The Minnesota DNR says that the new ELS system will have a number of benefits compared to its legacy system, including the ability to buy licenses online and store them on the phone eliminating the need for people to have paper licenses with them, unless they choose to print one out or pick it up in-person.

The new app will also allow families to have linked accounts to buy and manage licenses for children.

In a statement about the new app, the DNR said:

“We know people are eager to have a new, modernized system and we are too. The DNR, our project partners at Minnesota IT Services, our external vendor, PayIt Outdoors, are focused on ensuring a smooth and successful launch and the best user experience from the start.”

Owner of Walts Bait and Tackle Joshua Wolters says he thinks the move to an app is a good decision.

“I think that’d be a good idea, those machines are always breaking down,” Wolters said.

He says outside of Walmart and Fleet Farm, ELS machines are hard to find in the Mankato area, so he thinks the app would make online licensing more accessible.

The DNR says after the initial roll out it plans to add additional features for the registration of watercraft and off-highway vehicles.

The department says all licenses and stamps that can be purchased online will also remain available for sale at existing in-person locations.

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