This time, it’s the identity itself that slips into the iPhone with Apple Digital ID. The passport transitions to a digital format, streamlining controls, but only in the United States. Will this revolution ever come to France?
Wallet becomes a true identity vault capable of interfacing with security kiosks in over 250 American airports. Apple Digital ID relies on the American passport, the integrated NFC chip, and biometric verification. Identity can be verified in seconds without producing a single paper document. The question remains whether this model will ever find a foothold in French administrations.
Apple Digital ID, the Identity Card That Lives in Your iPhone
Apple Digital ID is an identity certificate directly integrated into Apple Wallet. It is built from your American passport. It stands as a genuine digital identity, signed, verified, encrypted, and usable in over 250 American airports.
However, it’s important to note that this does not replace the physical passport. It is not applicable for international flights. For now, the iPhone establishes its authority only on American soil.
To create their Apple Digital ID, a user must scan the photo page of their passport with their iPhone and place the iPhone on the passport to read the NFC chip. Next, they will take a selfie and perform a series of micro gestures with their face to confirm that they are indeed a living person.
Once everything is validated, the digital identity appears in Wallet. Additionally, it remains stored locally, directly on the device. Apple emphasizes that it does not track where or when you use it, nor what data you present.
Moreover, Apple Digital ID functions like a traditional digital identity card, with one unique aspect. This is essential for certain travelers who have neither a driver’s license nor a REAL ID-compliant identity card. For them, this marks the first time Apple has provided a valid form of identification in Wallet.
TSA, 250 Airports, and a Beta Phase
The initial deployment phase targets security checks by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). Almost 250 U.S. airports will offer compatible identity readers. Users will only need to open Wallet by double-clicking the side button, select Digital ID, present the iPhone or Apple Watch in front of the reader, and then validate using Face ID or Touch ID.
The TSA agent will no longer need to handle any documents since the device remains in your hand. Only the necessary information will be displayed, without compromising your entire personal file.
Furthermore, Apple plans to expand uses, such as age and identity verification, integration into apps, and interactions with businesses and online services. The company aims to transform Wallet into a genuine digital administrative wallet.
The significant innovation is that Apple Digital ID relies on the passport, rather than solely on driver’s licenses and state IDs accepted in 12 states and Puerto Rico. Hence, millions of Americans are now eligible, even if their state isn’t yet a partner.
Apple Digital ID also aims to unify experiences. You won’t have to wait for a state to adopt the feature; nor navigate among digital licenses and physical cards. You can also utilize a federal document, which is more universally accepted. In such a administratively fragmented country as the United States, this feels like a near-revolution.
Apple has officially launched Digital ID, a new way to add an ID such as a U.S. passport in Apple Wallet in the United States 🚨
At launch, users will be able to use Digital ID at TSA checkpoints at more than 250 airports in the U.S. for domestic travel pic.twitter.com/WN6Mli1j2i— Apple Hub (@theapplehub) November 12, 2025
And What About France?
Technically, Apple has the capability, as iPhones can read the NFC chips of biometric passports, including French ones. However, what is lacking is the political and administrative validation.
In France, any initiative related to official digital identity (CNIe, La Poste Digital Identity, France Identity) is governed by the state. The arrival of a Digital ID in Apple’s style would require deep partnership, clear rules, a legal framework, and a reciprocal trust level.
Moreover, the European Union is already advancing toward the European Digital Identity Wallet (EUDI Wallet), which is set to become the official standard. If one day an Apple Digital ID were to find its way into our French wallets, it would have to integrate into this broader project.
