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Flying Home for the Holidays? How to Put Your Passport on Your iPhone

iPhone and Apple Watch users can now add their passports to their devices and use them at select airports, thanks to this new feature.

Headshot of Blake Stimac
Headshot of Blake Stimac
Blake Stimac Writer
Blake has over a decade of experience writing for the web, with a focus on mobile phones, where he covered the smartphone boom of the 2010s and the broader tech scene. When he's not in front of a keyboard, you'll most likely find him playing video games, watching horror flicks, or hunting down a good churro.
Blake Stimac
2 min read
a Georgia driver's license sits next to a version of the ID on an iPhone and on an Apple Watch

Apple's Digital ID and Verify with Wallet APIs will make age and identity verification a breeze in the future. 

 Georgia Department of Driver Services/CNET

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 for identity verification at TSA checkpoints at over 250 participating domestic US airports. 

Apple has supported digital driver's licenses and state IDs for some time, but states have been slow to adopt this technology. What makes the situation muddier 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 sidesteps individual state support, allowing people without a Real ID to still use the feature. It won't replace your physical passport anytime soon, however, so be sure to keep it handy when traveling. 

Below, we'll show you how to add your passport to Apple Wallet. 

Watch this: Holiday Travel With a Digital ID, the World's First VPN Blanket & More | Tech Today

How to add your Passport to Apple Wallet

Adding your passport to Apple Wallet isn't hard, but given the sensitive nature, it'll 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 instructions for setup and verification. Some steps include taking a photo of the page with your image on it, and using your iPhone to read the chip in the back of the passport to verify its authenticity. Additionally, you'll need to take a live photo of yourself, along with performing a series of facial movements for additional identity verification. 

Currently, the feature is limited to the US and available on devices running iOS 26.1 and later. 

Expanding beyond the airport

The limited use case of using your digital ID at a couple of hundred of the more than 5,000 public airports in the country is somewhat underwhelming, especially right now, but it likely won't always be this way. 

In the future, Apple says users will be able to present their iPhone at small businesses and venues for identity and age verification, thanks to the Verify with Wallet API. Verifying your age or identity at a bar or venue will be a reality. Eventually. 

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