Apple Launches Digital ID in Wallet Using Your Passport
A closer look at Apple’s Digital ID rollout, how it works with your passport, and what it means for the evolution of secure digital identity.
Apple has just taken a major step toward a wallet-free future. The company officially launched its new Digital ID feature in the Wallet app, allowing anyone in the United States with a valid passport to create a secure, portable form of identification on their iPhone. This move bypasses the slow, state-by-state adoption of mobile driver’s licenses and makes digital identity accessible to millions more users nationwide.
First announced at WWDC, the feature is now rolling out and represents a significant expansion of Apple’s identity ecosystem. Here’s a closer look at how it works, where you can use it, and what it means for the future of your physical wallet.
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How to Create Your Digital ID
Setting up your Digital ID is a straightforward and secure process designed to verify your identity with confidence. It mirrors the existing flow for adding a driver’s license in supported states.
Open the Wallet app and tap the “+” button.
Select “Digital ID” from the options.
You will be prompted to take a photo of your U.S. passport and use your iPhone’s NFC reader to scan the chip embedded in the document.
Finally, you’ll complete a “liveness” check by taking a selfie and performing a series of brief head movements.
Once verified, your Digital ID is created and stored securely in the Wallet app on your device.
Privacy and Security at the Core
Apple is emphasizing the privacy-first architecture of its Digital ID. The verification data from your passport is encrypted and stored on-device, meaning Apple cannot see when or where you present your ID.
When you use your Digital ID, you remain in control. The system is designed to share only the minimum information required for a transaction. For example, when verifying your age for an alcohol purchase, the ID will only confirm that you are old enough without revealing your date of birth, address, or other personal details. This is a significant privacy improvement over handing over a physical ID.
Furthermore, every presentation of your Digital ID must be authorized with Face ID or Touch ID, ensuring that only you can use it. You don’t even need to unlock or hand over your device; simply hold it near a compatible reader and authenticate.
Where Can You Use It?
The initial rollout focuses on travel. Apple has partnered with the TSA to enable Digital ID acceptance at more than 250 airport security checkpoints across the United States for domestic flights. This allows you to breeze through security without needing to pull out your physical ID.
Looking ahead, Apple plans to expand acceptance to more businesses and organizations. Future use cases will include verifying your age for purchases in apps like Uber Eats and for online identity verification. This is not a direct replacement for a physical passport for international travel but is a massive step forward for domestic use.
The Bigger Picture
By using the U.S. passport as a universal verification document, Apple has cleverly sidestepped the fragmented and sluggish process of getting individual states to support mobile driver’s licenses. While 12 states and Puerto Rico currently offer this, the new Digital ID feature makes a secure, verifiable identity accessible to any passport holder in the country.
This launch firmly establishes Apple as a central player in the future of digital identity. It moves the concept from a niche feature for a few states to a mainstream tool with the potential for broad, everyday use. The slow but steady march toward a truly digital wallet just took a giant leap forward.
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The passport-based approach is realy clever since it sidesteps all the state-level bureacracy. I'm curious how quickly adoption will happen at TSA checkpoints though. Traveling with just my phone feels like one of those things that sounds great until you're stuck behind somone whose battery died at security.