iPhone becomes driving license & ID in Arizona and elsewhere

Apple continues to digitize everything about you

Apple announced plans for it in September, but the US state of Arizona today became the first U.S. state to offer driver’s license and state ID in Apple Wallet, putting your license inside your iPhone and Apple Watch.

Digital ID becomes reality

What this means is that Arizonans can choose to add their driver’s license or state ID to Wallet, and tap their iPhone or Apple Watch to seamlessly and securely present it at select TSA security checkpoints in Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport.

Additional states will follow, including Colorado, Hawaii, Mississippi, Ohio, Connecticut, Georgia, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Oklahoma, Utah and the territory of Puerto Rico.

What Apple said

“We’re thrilled to bring the first driver’s license and state ID in Wallet to Arizona today, and provide Arizonans with an easy, secure, and private way to present their ID when traveling, through just a tap of their iPhone or Apple Watch,” said Jennifer Bailey, Apple’s vice president of Apple Pay and Apple Wallet.

“We look forward to working with many more states and the TSA to bring IDs in Wallet to users across the US.”

“This new and innovative mobile driver’s license and state ID initiative with Apple and states around the country will enable a more seamless airport security screening experience for travelers,” said David Pekoske, TSA Administrator.

“This initiative marks a major milestone by TSA to provide an additional level of convenience for the traveler by enabling more opportunities for touchless TSA airport security screening.”

How to add a driver’s license or state ID to Wallet

Once your state introduces support for the feature you’ll be able to follow these steps to add your driver’s license or state ID to Wallet:

• Open Wallet app on your iPhone and tap the Plus + button.
• Select “Driver’s License or State ID”.
• You’ll be guided through a series of steps to start the setup and verification process.
• To help ensure that the person adding the identity card to Wallet is the same person to whom the identity card belongs, the user will be asked to take a selfie and scan the front and back of their driver’s license or state ID card, which will be securely provided to the issuing state for verification.
• As an additional fraud prevention step, users will also be prompted to complete a series of facial and head movements during the setup process.
• The state is responsible for verifying and approving the user’s request to add their driver’s license or state ID to Wallet.
• There is more information on this system here.

How to use the digital documents

Once added to Wallet, you will be able to present the driver’s license or state ID to the TSA at participating airport security checkpoints by tapping their iPhone or Apple Watch at the identity reader.

On their iPhone or Apple Watch, users will be shown which information is requested by the TSA, and can consent to provide it with Face ID or Touch ID, without having to unlock their iPhone or show their ID card. All information is shared digitally, so users do not need to show or hand over their device to present their ID. The TSA will also capture a picture of the traveler for verification purposes.

The privacy piece

Apple protects these digital IDs with all the privacy and security features it has built into the iPhone and Apple Watch.

There are several additional benefits, such as that only the information needed for an interaction is shared, and users can review and authorize the information being requested before it is shared.

Biometric authentication means only the person who added the ID to the device can view or present their ID or license in Wallet.

You need to be using an iPhone 8 or later running iOS 15.4 or later and an Apple Watch Series 4 or later (watchOS 8.4) to use the system. Driver’s licenses and state IDs in Wallet are currently available for use in select states at select TSA checkpoints. Travelers should confirm availability.

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