Apple announced last week that it is working with several states across the country—including Georgia—which will roll out the ability for their residents to seamlessly and securely add their driver’s license or state ID to Wallet on their iPhone and Apple Watch.
Arizona and Georgia will be the first states to introduce this new innovation to their residents, with Connecticut, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Oklahoma, and Utah to follow.
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) will enable select airport security checkpoints and lanes in participating airports as the first locations customers can use their driver’s license or state ID in Apple iPhone’s Wallet feature.
Apple says Wallet provides a more secure and convenient way for customers to present their driver’s licenses and state IDs on iPhone or Apple Watch.
“The addition of driver’s licenses and state IDs to Apple Wallet is an important step in our vision of replacing the physical wallet with a secure and easy-to-use mobile wallet,” said Jennifer Bailey, Apple’s vice president of Apple Pay and Apple Wallet. “We are excited that the TSA and so many states are already on board to help bring this to life for travelers across the country using only their iPhone and Apple Watch, and we are already in discussions with many more states as we’re working to offer this nationwide in the future.”
“This new and innovative mobile driver’s license and state ID initiative with Apple and states around the country will enable a more seamless airport security screening experience for travelers,” said David Pekoske, TSA Administrator. “This initiative marks a major milestone by TSA to provide an additional level of convenience for the traveler by enabling more opportunities for touchless TSA airport security screening.”
Apple says driver’s licenses and state IDs in Wallet will provide an easy, fast, and more secure way for people to present their driver’s license or state ID using their iPhone or Apple Watch.
Once a participating state begins offering this capability to its residents, customers will be able to add their driver’s license or state ID to Wallet and simply tap their iPhone or Apple Watch to present it to the TSA, without taking out their physical card or handing over their device.
“Georgia is a national leader when it comes to the safety and security of its driver and identity credentialing process, with more than 99 percent of Georgians REAL ID compliant, and the state of Georgia is equally as committed to safety and security through our mobile driver’s licensing (mDL) efforts with Apple,” said Spencer R. Moore, commissioner of the Georgia Department of Driver Services. “Together, we will deliver customer convenience through touchless identity verification and enhanced security and privacy protection through technology. We are honored to work with Apple as an initial adopter for such a revolutionary customer experience. A state-issued credential has become the standard for which institutions of all sectors use as a trusted source of identity proofing. The identity proofing bar has been raised significantly thanks to Apple and innovative states like Georgia.”
