Mobile driver’s licenses in Apple Wallet coming to 8 states, TSA checkpoints

Eight states have committed to adopting Apple Wallet for mobile driver’s license and state digital ID storage, the tech giant has announced. The U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) will also enable the use of Apple Wallet for sharing mDLs and digital IDs at some lanes and security checkpoints within airports.

Residents of Arizona and Georgia will be first to have the option of storing mDLs or state ID on their iPhone or Apple Watch, which the company says provide a secure and convenient way to present them. Connecticut, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Oklahoma, and Utah are expected to release further information about when their state IDs will support Apple Wallet and where they will be accepted in the near future.

The results of a recent records request suggested Apple had gained little traction with states, but did indicate interest as far back as 2019 from two more states; California and Illinois.

“The addition of driver’s licenses and state IDs to Apple Wallet is an important step in our vision of replacing the physical wallet with a secure and easy-to-use mobile wallet,” comments Jennifer Bailey, Apple’s vice president of Apple Pay and Apple Wallet. “We are excited that the TSA and so many states are already on board to help bring this to life for travelers across the country using only their iPhone and Apple Watch, and we are already in discussions with many more states as we’re working to offer this nationwide in the future.”

The announcement provides details on how to add the digital credential to the Wallet app through a scan of the document and the submission of a selfie for biometric matching.

Apple says neither it nor the state issuing the digital ID will be aware of when or where it is presented, and the mDLs and digital IDs will be protected by the privacy and security mechanisms built into iPhones and Apple Watches, including biometric authentication with Face ID and Touch ID. The Wallet app also informs users specifically of what personal information is being shared before authorization.

The implementation supports the ISO/IEC 18013-5 standard, and does not require users to hand over their devices to share identity information.

Apple began publicly pitching its mDL plans in June, and recently had a patent for wireless mDL sharing published by the USPTO.

Article Topics

Apple  |  biometrics  |  credentials  |  digital ID  |  digital identity  |  digital wallets  |  driver's license  |  mDL  |  standards  |  TSA  |  United States