Apple Wants Your iPhone to Be Your Only ID
While we’re not yet in an era where your phone completely replaces your wallet, Apple is moving quickly in that direction. Apple's plan to add U.S. passports to the Digital ID feature in the Apple Wallet app is now confirmed for iOS 26 and will arrive later this year. With this integration, users will be able to leverage a new digital ID format in more everyday scenarios.
Apple Wallet Is Getting U.S. Passport ID Support
Earlier this year, there were hints that Apple was working on supporting U.S. passports in its Wallet app, although no timeline was provided. Now, a footnote on the iOS 26 preview page, which was spotted by Macrumors, has been updated to state: “Digital ID will be coming later this year with U.S. passports only.”
This suggests that users in the United States should expect to start adding their passports to Apple Wallet via the Digital ID feature.
However, not everyone will likely have access to this feature at launch. It’s expected to be limited to states where Digital IDs are already supported, such as Arizona, California, Colorado, Georgia, Hawaii, Ohio, Maryland, and New Mexico. Digital ID is also available to users in Puerto Rico.
Apple also announced that Digital IDs will be adopted in more states, including Connecticut, Illinois, Kentucky, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Utah, and West Virginia, though the timing is still unknown.
The addition of U.S. passports could also pave the way for broader adoption in states that don’t currently support Apple Wallet’s Digital ID system, though that remains speculative. There’s also no word yet on whether Apple plans to expand Digital ID support to other countries, which would be a thoughtful next step.
How a Digital Passport Could Be Used
A digital passport won’t replace your physical passport when flying internationally, but it can serve as a valid form of ID for authentication, such as at TSA checkpoints for domestic flights.
Similar to other valid IDs like driver’s licenses and state-issued IDs, a digitized passport could also be used for age verification when accessing services in retail or online. That includes purchasing age-restricted games or entering establishments that require ID checks.
Passports for Digital ID are expected to arrive in one of the upcoming iOS 26 updates, likely iOS 26.1 or iOS 26.2. Although iOS 26.1 has already rolled out in beta, the feature is still missing. Regardless, there’s a strong expectation that Apple will deliver on its promise to launch it in 2025.
Do you use Apple Wallet or Digital ID regularly? What are your thoughts on Apple enabling digital passports? Share your opinion in the comments; we’d love to hear it.
