iPhone users can now add your passport to Apple Wallet pass through TSA checkpoints at more than 250 participating U.S. airports when flying domestically. Announced on Wednesday, but hinted a few weeks beforeThe new Digital ID feature will allow iPhone and Apple Watch users to use their devices to verify their identity instead of a physical passport.
Apple supported digital driver's licenses and state ID cards for some time now, but states have been slow to adopt the technology. To complicate matters, some states have their own digital identity solutions that require separate apps and don't support Apple Wallet.
The benefit of adding Passport to Apple Wallet is that it effectively bypasses individual government support, allowing people without Real ID to still use the feature. However, it won't replace your regular passport anytime soon, so make sure you still have it handy when you travel.
Below we'll show you how to add your passport to Apple Wallet.
How to add your Passport to Apple Wallet
Adding your passport to Apple Wallet is easy, but given its sensitive nature, it does require a few steps. Here's how to do it.
- Open Apple Wallet
- Click the “+” icon at the top of the screen.
- Click “Driver's License” or “Identification Cards.”
- Click Digital ID.
Follow the setup and testing instructions. Some steps include taking a photo of the page with your image on it and using your iPhone to read the chip on the back of the passport to verify its authenticity. In addition, you will need to take a live photo and perform a series of facial movements for additional identity verification.
This feature is currently only available in the US and on devices running iOS 26.1 and later.
Expansion beyond the airport
The limited option to use your digital ID at a couple hundred of the country's more than 5,000 public airports is somewhat disappointing, especially right nowbut this probably won't always be the case.
In the future, Apple says users will be able to present their iPhones at small businesses and other places to verify their identity and age thanks to Verify using wallet API. Verifying your age or identity at a bar or establishment will become a reality. In the end.
