- Apple has announced new Digital ID feature that allows travelers to save their passport in Apple Wallet.
- Travelers can use their iPhone or Apple Watch to show their digital passport to TSA, but only for domestic flights.
- The new feature doesn’t replace a physical passport, which will still need to be shown to fly internationally.
Domestic travel in the U.S. is about to get easier for certain smartphone users.
Apple announced the rollout of a new digital passport that will soon be available on iOS for Apple Wallet users. This digital ID will be accepted by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) for boarding domestic flights instead of a physical ID. Apple announced the new feature at its annual Worldwide Developers Conference on June 9.
While this new change will make domestic travel easier for many Apple smartphone and watch users, the digital ID is not a replacement for a physical passport and can only be used for travel for domestic flights. It will not be accepted by TSA for international flights. For travelers flying internationally, it will still be necessary to present a physical passport in order to board a flight.
“When you use your license or ID at a TSA checkpoint, you need to authenticate with the Face ID or Touch ID associated with your license or ID before your phone presents your information to the identity reader,” the Apple website states. “Depending on where you present your license or ID, there might be additional requirements. For example, when you present your license or ID to the TSA, their identity reader captures your image for comparison with the image presented from your license or ID in Apple Wallet.”
There are some exceptions to digital ID’s availability. The ID in Apple Wallet generally requires an iPhone 8 or higher, equipped with iOS 16.5 or later. In California, the ID requires iPhone XS or later with iOS 17.5 or later. For Puerto Rico, it is also necessary to have an iPhone XS or later model, but it requires iOS 18.1 at least.
Travelers should confirm that their devices support the digital ID before they try to use it at an airport.
Across U.S. airports new Real ID rules went into effect on May 7. The new regulations mean travelers on domestic flights must present upgraded state-issue IDs and driver’s licenses in order to use those documents to fly. (Domestic travelers can also use passports to board their flights.) Perhaps the introduction of the Apple digital ID will offer another option and make it easier for domestic travelers to have multiple options of IDs to present to TSA when they fly.
