Apple exec says Wallet almost ready for US passports

Apple will introduce support for U.S. passports to Apple Wallet before 2025 ends, an executive said during Money20/20 this weekend in Las Vegas.

Once available, the digital credential will be accepted at select TSA checkpoints for domestic travel, streamlining the security process. The update builds on Apple’s broader push to position Wallet as a secure hub for digital identity. The push for TSA acceptance has been ongoing since 2021.

The upcoming launch was announced by Jennifer Bailey, Apple’s VP of Apple Pay and Apple Wallet, during her keynote at the Money20/20 USA conference, where she also shared new adoption metrics. For example, Apple Pay is now operating in 89 markets internationally, with 90 percent of U.S. retailers supporting Apple Pay, and more than 11,000 banks and networks worldwide supporting the digital payment method.

“So we’re working on hotel keys, car keys, being able to use your student ID to get into university dorms and to pay for your food in the cafeteria,” Bailey said on stage, in a video shared by Money20/20. “And so, really, everything that is in your wallet, we’ve been working to replace.”

At Apple’s WWDC25 in June, the Cupertino company embraced digital credentials in Apple Wallet as it announced that henceforth iOS releases will support the W3C Digital Credentials API to request mDocs from Safari and WebKit. Apple also said iOS 26 will support TSA-approved digital passports and augmented boarding passes with integrated terminal maps.

These digital IDs won’t replace physical passports but could help travelers move more efficiently through airport security, especially in light of Real ID regulations that took effect in May, which made many state IDs no longer eligible under TSA requirements.

Although support for state-issued IDs in Apple Wallet has already expanded to 12 states and Puerto Rico — covering approximately a third of U.S. license holders — the passport-based digital ID was not included in the initial rollout of iOS 26. Apple has confirmed it will arrive in a future software update, which is expected before the end of the year.

Apple Wallet is able to store mobile driver’s licenses (mDL), with the state of West Virginia the latest addition. Japan’s My Number card is also supported by Apple Wallet.

Article Topics

Apple Wallet  |  biometric passport  |  digital travel credentials  |  digital wallets  |  travel documents  |  TSA  |  United States