iPhones to add US Passport support in Wallet App by end of 2025
Apple has quietly amended its iOS 26 features page to confirm that U.S. passport holders will be able to add their passports to the Wallet app “later this year.” The change signals that Apple is preparing to roll out a digital passport feature in an upcoming iOS update.
The updated wording replaces a previous note that lacked any schedule, now stating only that “Digital ID will be coming later this year with U.S. passports only.” Apple’s current site no longer mentions which software release will deliver the functionality.
Under the new system, U.S. iPhone users will be able to upload their passports into Wallet, alongside existing digital driver’s licenses. Those documents can then be used at TSA checkpoints for domestic travel, as well as for identity or age verification in apps, retail settings, and websites that accept digital IDs.
Apple introduced its Digital ID concept years ago, first enabling digital state driver’s licenses in collaboration with individual state governments. To date, only a handful of states have adopted that Wallet-based system. In contrast, U.S. passport support would begin nationwide rather than on a state-by-state basis.
Apple has begun distributing beta versions of iOS 26.1 to developers, though as of now, the digital passport feature is absent from those builds. Some observers infer that the feature will arrive via iOS 26.1 or 26.2 before year’s end.
The digital passport will not replace physical passports for international travel, and Apple itself makes that limitation clear. Instead, the feature aims to streamline domestic identity verification and reduce reliance on carrying physical credentials for domestic flights.
Security and privacy protections will mirror those used for driver’s licenses in Wallet. Users will be required to scan their physical passports, pass a biometric liveness check, and authenticate via Face ID or Touch ID before the digital version is stored. Apple emphasizes that it cannot access or view stored ID data.
TSA already accepts mobile passport IDs in certain airports via Google Wallet, but Apple’s entry into this space could expand digital passport availability more broadly across the U.S.
Delays are possible. Even though iOS 26 is publicly available, Apple’s postponement of the passport feature suggests it may not ship until a later update such as 26.1 or 26.2.
If successful, this feature could further reduce friction in domestic travel, while raising new questions around adoption, security, and the ongoing coexistence of physical and digital credentials.
