Apple is launching Digital ID, a feature that allows you to create and store an ID in Apple Wallet using your US passport. In the announcement, Apple says digital ID acceptance will begin “rolling out first” at TSA checkpoints for domestic travel in more than 250 airports across the US.
You can present your digital ID in place of a physical ID at TSA checkpoints using your iPhone or Apple Watch. But Apple notes that it’s not a replacement for your physical passport, and you can’t use it for international travel or border crossings.
Apple already allows you to store your driver’s license in Apple Wallet in 12 states and Puerto Rico, but the new Digital ID option provides an alternative for people whose home state doesn’t support digital driver’s licenses or who don’t already have a REAL ID or state ID. Apple first announced Digital ID during its Worldwide Developers Conference in June, and the feature was supposed to come with iOS 26, before Apple quietly delayed it.
To create a Digital ID, tap the “Plus” button on the top right corner of the Wallet app and then select Digital ID. From there, Apple will ask you to scan the photo page of your physical passport, as well as the chip on the back, “to ensure the authenticity of the data.” You’ll then have to take a selfie for verification, as well as make full facial and head movements to confirm that it’s really you.
You can present your Digital ID to open Apple Wallet by double-clicking your iPhone’s Side or Home button, selecting your Digital ID, and then holding your phone or Apple Watch near an identification reader.
Apple says this feature is encrypted, meaning Apple can’t see when you display your ID, or the data you submit. You also won’t need to “unlock, show, or hand over” your device to present your ID – something you shouldn’t even have to do with a digital driver’s license.
It is still unclear which airports will accept the digital ID. Apple also notes that users will soon be able to present their digital ID at “additional select businesses and organizations” in the future.