Flying Home for the Holidays? How to Put Your Passport on Your iPhone
Are you traveling this holiday season? You can now add your passport to your Apple Wallet, thanks to the new digital ID. iPhone and Apple Watch users can use their devices to verify their identity at TSA checkpoints at more than 250 participating U.S. domestic airports.
Apple supported digital driver’s licenses and state ID cards for some time, but states have been slow to adopt this technology. What makes the situation more confusing is that some states have their own digital ID solutions that require separate apps and don’t support Apple Wallet.
The benefit of adding a passport to Apple Wallet is that it effectively bypasses individual state support, allowing people without a real ID to continue using the feature. However, it won’t replace your physical passport anytime soon, so be sure to keep it handy when you travel.
Below we’ll show you how to add your passport to Apple Wallet.
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How to add your passport to Apple Wallet
Adding your passport to Apple Wallet isn’t difficult, but given its sensitive nature, it will require a few steps. Here’s how to do it.
- Open Apple Wallet
- Tap the “+” icon at the top of the screen
- Tap Driver’s License or ID Cards
- Tap Digital ID
Follow the setup and verification 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. Additionally, you will need to take a live photo of yourself and perform a series of facial movements for additional identity verification.
Currently, the feature is limited to the United States and available on devices running iOS 26.1 and later.
Expansion beyond the airport
The limited use case of using your digital ID at a few hundred of the nation’s more than 5,000 public airports is somewhat disappointing, especially right awaybut it probably won’t always be this way.
In the future, Apple says users will be able to show their iPhone at small businesses and venues to verify their identity and age, using the Verify with Wallet API. Verifying your age or identity at a bar or venue will be a reality. Eventually.
