Apple says it will soon introduce an Apple Wallet feature that will allow U.S. users to create a digital ID using their passport, which will then be able to be used at select TSA checkpoints for domestic travel. The feature, previously announced as part of the iOS 26 release, comes on the heels of Apple’s expansion of Wallet as more than a payment mechanism or ticket holder, but also a secure place to store a user’s digital identity.
Currently, support for government IDs in Apple Wallet has rolled out to 12 states and Puerto Rico, or roughly a third of U.S. license holders. However, the passport-tied Digital ID feature didn’t arrive with the debut of iOS 26, as Apple said it would come in a future software update.
While the new digital IDs won’t replace a U.S. passport, they could allow travelers to move through TSA checkpoints more quickly, alongside Wallet’s existing support for digital boarding passes.
The change is particularly urgent given the Real ID rules, which began enforcement in May, rendering many state IDs insufficient for TSA checkpoints.
The coming launch of passport-associated Digital IDs was announced on Sunday by Jennifer Bailey, VP of Apple Pay and Apple Wallet, at the Money 20/20 USA conference, where the exec also shared other stats about Wallet’s adoption.
For instance, she noted that Apple Pay was now live in 89 markets around the world, with more than 11,000 banks and networks supporting Apple Pay, including 15 domestic networks. In addition, 90% of U.S. retailers support Apple Pay, up from 3% at launch 11 years ago.
Bailey also pointed to other non-payment features for the Wallet app, like the ability to save car keys, transit passes, hotel keys, and more. Transit options are supported across more than 250 regions and 800 cities globally, and over 2 million hotel room keys have been provisioned, supporting more than 65,000 hotel rooms. In addition, 29 car manufacturers and over 300 models now support Car Key in Wallet, according to the exec.
