As a resident of California, I was intrigued to learn that I could put my state ID or driver’s license into the Portofel Apple on my iPhone. That’s a convenient place to stash credit cards and debit cards so maybe there would be a similar benefit for my ID. Like at a Transportation Security Administration check-in at the airport.

Turns out, it’s a bit more complicated.

Apple has allowed people to add their driver’s license or ID to its Wallet app in a select number of states for some time now. Currently, the use cases are fairly limited, like using it as a way to confirm your identity at supported TSA checkpoints when flying domestically. At your favorite bar or nightclub? Probably not, at least not yet. The opportunities are bound to grow once digital IDs become more commonplace, though.

I wanted to test just how simple (or painful) the process of adding my ID to Apple Wallet would be. Below, I describe my experience, the hiccups I encountered on the way and things that you should know if you plan on adding your driver’s license to Apple Wallet. I’ll also break down how you can add your ID to your iPhone, step by step. 

For more, don’t miss these low-key iOS 26 features we’re excited for.

These states support digital IDs on iPhones right now

Doar o o mână de state acceptă ID-uri digitale în Apple Wallet. Un factor cheie este modul în care fiecare stat își implementează sistemul de permise de conducere mobile. De exemplu, Louisiana, New York, Utah și Virginia acceptă permisele de conducere mobile, dar necesită aplicații separate pentru ID-urile digitale. 

Statele și regiunile care acceptă ID-uri digitale în Apple Wallet:

• Arizona
• California
• Colorado
• Georgia
• Hawaii
• Iowa
• Maryland
• New Mexico
• Ohio
• Puerto Rico

Some states anunțat inițial to support Apple’s digital ID haven’t quite gotten there yet. 

Numărul de state acceptate în Apple Wallet este de aproximativ jumătate din ceea ce permite TSA în prezent. Împreună, acceptă ID-uri digitale în Apple Wallet, Google Wallet, Samsung Wallet și aplicații mobile bazate pe state. în 15 state.

What are the iPhone requirements to add your driver’s license to Apple Wallet?

Where you live is just the start. You also have to have the right iPhone model and the right software setup. 

Here are the minimum requirements that Apple lists: 

• An iPhone 8 or later with the latest version of iOS 
• Have Face or Touch ID enabled on your device
• Have two-factor authentication enabled on your Apple account
• A license or ID from a participating state or territory
• Your device’s region set to the United States

I’ll have more to say in a bit about that iPhone 8 and iOS requirement and a catch I ran into.

My experience adding my ID to my iPhone was easy

For testing purposes, I used the iPhone 16E.

The process of adding the ID was simple. I scanned the front and the back of my ID and the next step was to verify my identity. This wasn’t nearly as nerve-wracking as I thought it would be. Instead, it took a live photo of my face for 2.5 seconds. 

After that, more verification was required. This came in a series of different photos, with prompts directing me to close my eyes, open my mouth, smile and tip my head down. This verification process took about three minutes. (Or longer in my case, aa I got distracted writing notes about the process and then found I had to restart the whole process.) 

Then, after I submitted those photos, there was another verification step, presumably with the photos relayed to the California DMV. A screen message told me that I would receive a notification when there was an update. I expected this to take a long time, but not even 10 minutes later, a notification telling me that my ID was ready to use popped up. That was easy. 

What about older iPhones?

So, not every phone you think might work will actually do so. The first time I tested adding my ID, I was using an iPhone 8 Plus. But when I arrived at the setup page within Apple Wallet, I was given eight states to choose from, and California wasn’t one of them.

That surprised me. I’d found a helpful Apple support article that explained the requirements for adding a driver’s license or state-issued ID to Apple Wallet and it seemed like I shouldn’t have any trouble. 

At first, I thought the roadblock was that I hadn’t set up Touch ID yet. But no, California was still not on my list of eight states. (Equally confusing, a colleague of mine also tried this with an iPhone 8 and Apple Wallet only listed four states.)

I went back to the Apple support article and looked for fine print, and sure enough, there it was. I’d ignored the asterisk in the requirements, because California has had its Mobile Driver’s License program set up for some time now.

The fine print at the very bottom of the page states, “For California, ID in Apple Wallet requires iPhone XS or later with iOS 17.5 or later.” (For Puerto Rico, if you want to add your driver’s license or ID to Apple Wallet, you’ll need to have an iPhone XS or later with iOS 18.1.) 

So if you’re holding onto an iPhone 8 or iPhone X and live in California, you won’t be able to add your driver’s license to your iPhone because of the lack of software support. iOS 16 is the last supported version of the operating system for iPhone 8 and X models.

Cum să adaugi actul de identitate sau permisul de conducere în Apple Wallet

Dacă locuiți într-un stat care acceptă ID-uri digitale pentru Apple Wallet, este easy to add one. After it’s added, you’ll need to verify your identity, which can take a little longer but it’s still a straightforward process.

• Deschide Portofel Apple.
• Atingeți Adăuga buton.
• Atingeți Permis de conducere sau act de identitate și selectați locația.
• If applicable, choose whether you want to add your ID to your iPhone only or your iPhone and your Apple Watch. 
• Urmați pașii pentru a scana permisul sau actul de identitate.

(Make sure you scan your ID in a well-lit environment and that the image is in focus.)

După ce este scanat, ți se va solicita să-ți confirmi identitatea cu o fotografie selfie. Conform Apple, ți se poate solicita să efectuezi o serie de mișcări faciale sau ale capului în scopuri de identificare. 

Pentru a asigura un proces de verificare mai ușor, Apple vă sugerează să:

• Stați în fața unui fundal simplu, cu vopsea neutră, deschisă la culoare.
• Stați într-o zonă bine luminată, ideal în interior.
• Scoateți ochelarii de soare, măștile, pălăriile sau alte accesorii care v-ar putea bloca fața.
• Țineți iPhone-ul nemișcat.

Când ați terminat, trimiteți informațiile confirmând cu Touch sau Face ID. Datele biometrice vor fi asociate cu actul de identitate, astfel încât numai dumneavoastră le puteți folosi. 

How to transfer your digital ID to another iPhone

Dacă îți faci upgrade la iPhone, va trebui să transferi actul de identitate sau permisul de conducere pe acesta. 

• În timpul configurării inițiale, atingeți Portofel.
• Selectați-vă ID-ul.
• Urmați pașii.
• Atingeți pentru a confirma că doriți să mutați permisul de conducere sau actul de identitate pe noul dispozitiv.

So, now what?

Your digital ID isn’t just a photo of your ID that you can pull up within Apple Wallet. In fact, you don’t even see a full image of your physical ID. In order to actually view your information from your digital ID, you’ll need to tap on your ID “card” in Apple Wallet, tap the “i” at the top-right of the screen, and then tap State ID info or Card Information (the wording may be different depending on what version of iOS your iPhone is running). From there, it will show your ID photo as well as essential pieces of information from your physical ID. 

TSA checkpoints that support digital IDs require a dedicated scanner, so the process may not necessarily feel like it’s faster than showing your physical ID to the agent. 

Here’s a video of the process via the Maryland Department of Transportation:

The idea of a digital ID is pretty convenient but overall, it probably won’t save you a meaningful amount of time. Couple that fact with its incredibly limited use cases right now and the fact that merchant or event adoption will require investment in proper hardware and it’s pretty easy to see just how far off we are from ditching physical IDs.  

Selling or trading in your iPhone? Do this first.

When you move on from a phone that has your ID on it, you’ll want to do the same thing you do with other sensitive info like credit or debit cards and passwords: Remove it. 

So before you wipe your iPhone to sell or trade it in, you should manually remove your ID first. Here’s how to do it.

• Go to Apple Wallet and tap your ID in the list
• Atingeți “i” button at the top right of the screen
• Robinet Remove State ID (or Driver’s License)
• Read the warning that pops up and tap Elimina

Pașapoartele digitale vor fi disponibile pe Apple Wallet odată cu iOS 26

While states are taking time to implement digital ID systems, Apple announced a feature coming in iOS 26 this year: You can add a digital passport to Apple Wallet.

When that feature is available, iPhone users will be able to scan their passports to create a digital version for identity verification during domestic travel. You won’t be able to use it for international travel and it’s not a full replacement for a physical passport (so keep your physical one on you) but it should work at the 250-plus supported TSA checkpoints. 

În timpul său Discurs principal la WWDC in June, Apple said that the digital ID made from your passport can also be used “în aplicații și în persoană” but it didn’t give any specifics. 

Practic, asta se poate face pe Android prin Google Wallet. 

Verify with Wallet ID verification could make ordering alcohol easier

Also headed to iPhones this fall is an easier way for you to prove your age using your digital ID. Say you want to have a bottle of wine sent to your place via Uber Eats. Typically, when the driver arrives, you’ll need to present your ID and have it scanned to complete the transaction but with the new Verify with Wallet, your stored digital ID will be used to verify your age. (I do wonder if things might get more complicated when the delivery arrives if you’re not the one receiving it.)

Verificarea cu Portofelul va fi acceptată de Chime, Turo, Uber Eats și US Bank. 

Pentru mai multe informații, nu ratați ce ar trebui să știți despre zboruri interne fără un act de identitate real în 2025.