This feature aims to facilitate the travel experience within the United States, as travelers who have not yet updated their driver’s licenses to “Real ID” can use the digital passport as an alternative to the paper version when boarding planes within the United States.
This digital identity will appear on iPhones and Apple Watches, and Apple confirms that the service is currently available in more than 250 U.S. airports, noting that it is not valid for international travel, where a paper passport remains necessary for trips outside the country.
It should be noted that identity readers at all TSA points have not yet been equipped with this technology, which means that carrying a paper passport remains necessary at this time.
This feature was first announced as part of the iOS 26 update, which also added the ability to automatically track packages via email within the Wallet app.
Adding the digital passport is easy by going to the Wallet app, taking a selfie, and performing a series of head and face movements to verify identity.
The Wallet platform currently supports driver’s licenses and national identity cards in 12 U.S. states and Puerto Rico, but these cards are not approved for air travel, unlike the new passport-based digital identity.
Apple intends to expand the scope of the service in the future to include age verification and commercial transactions, making digital identity an additional step towards the complete transition to smart documents in daily life. (اليوم السابع)
