Airside’s passport app takes flight into universal digital ID

Airside has announced its Mobile Passport App will be retired as the company expands its focus on a broader digital ID app covering more verification options, after having its original application serving passport checks by the U.S. border agency taken away in favor of the agency’s own app.

The Herndon, Virginia-based company’s Mobile Passport App would no longer be accepted by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CPB) as of February 2022. CBP previously announced that it would phase out apps like Airside in favor of a new Mobile Passport Control (MPC) app as its sole passport app for entry into the U.S.

Listings for the Airside Mobile Passport App in the Apple App Store and Google Play Store will redirect visitors to the CBP MPC App and the Airside Digital ID App.

As it transitions away from use with CBP checks, Airside says it will be promoting a “universal form of mobile ID” with its Airside Digital ID App. The company says it stores various forms of ID, such as passports, driver’s licenses, military IDs and other verified documentation into one app, a concept it refers to as “Whole ID.”

Airside says the Digital ID app can allow users to prepare trips from home, avoid common touch points and bypass crowds and long lines at chokepoints during travel. The company released a digital health pass feature to verify COVID-19 vaccination status with biometrics through its Digital ID App in July 2021.

Article Topics

Airside Mobile  |  biometrics  |  digital ID  |  digital wallets  |  document verification  |  identity verification  |  mobile app