Here’s where you can use your iPhone as your driver’s license or ID so far

Apple announced plans to turn the iPhone into your driver’s license all the way back in 2021. So far, only a dozen U.S. states actually let you add your driver’s license or state ID to Apple Wallet. However, there are more states without Wallet support where your iPhone can still become your driver’s license.

Apple Wallet IDs

What’s the benefit of making your driver’s license or state ID available in Apple Wallet? For now, it’s very similar to using Apple Pay to checkout at a store.

Rather than presenting your physical driver’s license or state ID at TSA checkpoints in airports, simply tapping your iPhone or Apple Watch on an NFC reader can validate your identity. Boarding passes have long turned digital, and driver’s licenses are catching up.

There doesn’t seem to be a race to complete or even start the transition to digital IDs, though. For now, these states and territories support IDs in Wallet:

• Arizona
• California
• Colorado
• Georgia
• Hawaii
• Iowa
• Maryland
• Montana
• New Mexico
• North Dakota
• Ohio
• Puerto Rico
• West Virginia

Apple also supports adding My Number Card in Japan to the Wallet app using the Mynaportal app.

That brings the count to 12 states, one U.S. territory, and something else in Japan.

Apple said in 2021 that Connecticut, Kentucky, Oklahoma, and Utah were also committed to support the feature. For now, it’s easy to find news coverage for states committing to digital ID support since 2021 without a solution.

While just a few states support IDs in Wallet so far, there are many more additional states and territories that are at various levels of exploring support.

Digital ID apps

While national support for IDs in Wallet may take years, more states officially offer digital IDs on iPhone sans Wallet support. States with mobile ID apps on iPhone include:

• Arkansas
• Arizona
• California
• Delaware
• Iowa
• Louisiana
• Mississippi
• Missouri
• New York
• Oklahoma
• Tennessee
• Utah
• Virginia
• West Virginia

These states have mobile apps that let you use your digital ID with contactless terminals. The setup process may require registering your phone number, scanning the front and back of your physical ID, and verifying with a selfie. Users can then “certify” their digital ID to be used for TSA, age verification, and more.

Digital IDs aren’t just more convenient. When supported, a user can verify their age for age-restricted purchases like alcohol without revealing personal information like their birth date or home address, for example.

When will my state get digital driver’s licenses?

If you don’t live in a state that supports digital ID, you’re probably asking yourself when your state will make the list. Legislative bodies in each state and territory must propose and pass their own laws allowing digital driver’s licenses. This process is the biggest bottleneck.

Once legal, state officials must agree on how best to implement digital IDs. Companies like IDEMIA are making this process more straightforward, but each state tackles issues like support and security separately.

Several states have already legalized digital driver’s licenses and state IDs but do not have a solution in place. Laws have been passed as recently as 2021, 2022, and 2023.

Having your driver’s license available in Apple Wallet on your iPhone without downloading something from the App Store is ideal scenario. If you’re wondering when your state will make the leap, it’s helpful to be familiar with digital ID laws in your state as well as recent news coverage about progress toward implementation. This data will give you the best information for managing your expectations.

Missing any data? Have you added your ID to Wallet or used your digital ID in the real world yet? Let us know in the comments.

Digital ID coming in iOS 26

Apple is launching a new digital ID feature in iOS 26:

Digital ID offers a secure and private new way for users to store and present their ID information using their iPhone and Apple Watch. Users can seamlessly create and add a Digital ID to Apple Wallet using a U.S. passport.

With REAL ID implementation in effect, at launch, Digital ID provides another way for users to conveniently and securely present an ID in person at select TSA checkpoints for identity verification purposes during domestic travel. Digital ID is not a replacement for a physical passport, and cannot be used for international travel and border crossing in lieu of a U.S. passport. Like all IDs in Apple Wallet, this new solution takes advantage of the privacy and security features already built into iPhone and Apple Watch.

Additionally, Verify with Wallet on the Web enables users to seamlessly and securely present their eligible driver’s license or state ID in Wallet to websites for age and identity verification, starting with Chime, Turo, Uber Eats, and U.S. Bank, as well as the Arizona MVD, Georgia DDS, and Maryland MVA.

These will be created with a physical U.S. passport, according to Apple. The feature has been delayed, but Apple is still committed to launching it.

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