Apple has announced that it will soon introduce an Apple Wallet feature that will allow U.S. users to use their passports to create digital IDs that can be used at some TSA checkpoints for domestic travel. The feature was previously announced as part of the iOS 26 release and comes on the heels of Apple expanding Wallet as not only a payment mechanism and ticket holder, but also a secure place to store a user’s digital identity.
Support for government IDs in Apple Wallet is currently rolled out to 12 states and Puerto Rico, or approximately one-third of licensees in the United States. However, the digital ID feature associated with Passport was not included when iOS 26 debuted, as Apple said it would come in a future software update.
The new digital ID will not replace the U.S. passport, but will work alongside the wallet’s existing digital boarding pass support to help travelers get through TSA checkpoints more quickly.
This change is especially urgent given that the Real ID rule, which began taking effect in May, has made many state IDs inadequate for TSA checkpoints.
The upcoming launch of passport-related digital IDs was announced Sunday by Jennifer Bailey, vice president of Apple Pay and Apple Wallet, at the Money 20/20 USA conference, where the executive also shared other statistics on Wallet adoption.
For example, she noted that Apple Pay is currently live in 89 markets around the world, and more than 11,000 banks and networks support Apple Pay, including 15 national networks. Additionally, 90% of U.S. retailers now support Apple Pay, up from 3% when it launched 11 years ago.
Bailey also pointed to the Wallet app’s non-payment features, including the ability to store car keys, transit passes, hotel keys, and more. Transportation options are supported in over 250 regions and 800 cities around the world, with over 2 million hotel room keys provisioned and support for over 65,000 hotel rooms. Additionally, the executive said 29 automakers and more than 300 models currently support Wallet Car Key.
