iPhone Gets US Passport Support by End of 2025

Your iPhone is about to become your passport, well, sort of. Apple confirmed that iPhones will add US Passport support by the end of 2025, marking a significant evolution in how we think about digital identity. Not a gimmick. It is Apple’s answer to the slow rollout of digital driver’s licenses and a direct response to Google Wallet’s passport support that launched in December 2024. The feature will let you create an ID with your passport in the Wallet app, so you can verify your identity at TSA checkpoints and beyond without digging for plastic.

Why passport support is a bigger deal than you think

Digital IDs have crawled along. Right now, only 11 states and territories offer digital IDs in the US, which has left millions of iPhone users sitting on the sidelines. Digital ID builds on driver’s license integration in the Wallet app, but the state-by-state rollout created a patchwork that never felt very Apple.

Passport support changes that equation. US passport support will bring a form of digital ID to a lot more iPhone users since every US citizen can potentially participate, no matter which state issued their driver’s license. No more geographic lottery.

The tech lift is different too. Support for passports involves higher security requirements and an entirely different standard involving the eMRTD chip, which helps explain the longer runway compared to basic driver’s licenses. More complex, yes; also more universal.

And here is a twist. Apple led the way in supporting mobile driver’s licenses four years ago, yet Google beat them to passport support. That delay hints at Apple taking a slower, tighter approach to security and certification, the sort of move that can pay off later.

What you’ll actually be able to do with digital passports

Let’s talk real use. The digital passport can be used in lieu of a physical passport for domestic travel at TSA checkpoints, with caveats. It will work at select TSA checkpoints, so you can use it to travel within the US, specifically at airports in Arizona, California, Colorado, Georgia, Hawaii, Iowa, Maryland, Montana, New Mexico, Ohio, and Puerto Rico.

Outside the airport, digital IDs will work for age and identity verification in apps, retail store locations, and websites. Buying age-restricted items, signing up for services, proving you are you, less wallet fishing and awkward fumbling.

The Digital ID is Real ID compliant, which covers federal standards for domestic air travel. Crucial limitation, though, and it is a big one: Apple says "Digital ID is not a replacement for a physical passport, and cannot be used for international travel and border crossing in lieu of a U.S. passport". Keep that little blue book for international trips.

While Digital ID is available in over 250 airports around the U.S., coverage depends on local infrastructure. Translation, your experience will vary by airport.

The security and privacy angle that matters

Apple leans hard into privacy for identity features, and passports fit that mold. Apple says the Digital ID feature is secure, private, and compliant with REAL ID, building on the same security stack that protects cards in Wallet.

Under the hood, it is trickier than licenses. Apple must demonstrate compliance with security standards and undergo certifications for digital passport support. Unlike the open ISO 18013-5 mDL standard used for driver’s licenses, passport verification involves federal standards and the embedded security of modern US passports. Hence the delay, and the extra protection.

Good news for worst-case moments. The Digital ID can be stored on the iPhone or the Apple Watch, and it uses Face ID or Touch ID for authentication, so a lost device does not mean a stolen identity.

One more practical note, and worth repeating for travelers, the TSA also notes that you should still carry a valid ID with you at all times. Tech can hiccup.

When you can actually use this feature

Timing is still a bit fuzzy. Digital ID is coming later in 2025, and Apple has yet to announce an exact release timeframe for the feature. It missed the iOS 26.0 release and will land in a future update.

This likely means that we’re either looking at a release in iOS 26.1 in late October, or iOS 26.2 in early-to-mid December. There is also a chance Apple could add US passport support to Wallet via a server-side update, with no software release required, which Apple has done for Wallet features before.

Apple is playing catch-up here. Google Wallet passports served as a 'real-ID equivalent' for TSA domestic travel since December 2024, so Android users have had a head start.

One last breadcrumb from the rollout, passport support was listed on Apple’s iOS 26 preview page throughout the summer, then Apple quietly added a footnote indicating that passport support will be coming in a future update rather than at launch. Reads like certification took longer than expected.

What this means for the future of digital identity

This is more than another Wallet tile. It is Apple’s swing at making digital identity truly universal. Support for US passports in Apple Wallet will allow every US citizen to have a digital ID on their phone, even if their state has not rolled out digital driver’s licenses. Federal document, national reach.

The timing signals intent too. While Apple says more states are expected to join the scheme soon, passport support sidesteps state-by-state negotiations and lets people feel the convenience right away.

We are closer to a phone that can replace your wallet for ID. Not all the way there. You still need physical IDs as backups and for international travel, but passport support plugs the biggest coverage gap. The takeaway, Apple is setting up digital identity for virtually every iPhone-carrying US citizen, wherever they live.

Bottom line, your iPhone is about to get a lot more useful for proving who you are, whether you are catching a domestic flight, buying age-restricted products, or signing up for services that need verification. Keep that physical passport handy for international adventures, at least for now.