Your iPhone Could Replace Your Passport? What you must know before you travel

Picture yourself breezing past airport security checks with just an iPhone in hand instead of a fat passport and digging through your bag. Apple is helping make this a reality. The company recently announced that iPhone users in the United States will soon be able to store their passports digitally on the Wallet app on their phones.

For many domestic travelers, this digital passport is an enticing option. It will let users show their identity at checkpoints while cutting back on their paper documents. This can mean saving their time and hassle while traveling. But the utility has its restrictions and edge cases.

Digital Passport in Wallet

Apple says that U.S. iPhone users will be able to digitally store their passport in the Wallet app, which they can then present at a number of supported TSA (Transportation Security Administration) checkpoints. The uploaded document would then be accessed when needed by using biometric authentication (Face ID or Touch ID) on the iPhone.

So the digital document can only be unlocked by your biometric data and the individual with the iPhone can only present their face to the checkpoint camera reader. You can think of the entire process as an extension of the well-established Apple Wallet platform.

Check out a few key things you should know about how this digital passport works. The feature is a part of Apple’s identity play across its ecosystem as it slowly ushers users into the world of digital IDs.

Key Takeaways: Restrictions & Edge Cases

The biggest thing to note first: This is not a replacement for your actual passport.

You will still need to carry a physical passport for international travel or crossing a border, even for U.S. passport holders. The digital passport is for internal travel within the U.S.

Next, this new feature is only for U.S. passports at the moment, and the rollout will depend on agency and airport partners.

But you can be sure Apple will open up support to other countries and government IDs and eventually even visas.

Third, the digital passport feature is only available at supported TSA-participating domestic checkpoints and not across all of them.

So, the feature is not universal even within the U.S. at the moment, and a full airport-wide deployment will take time.

Finally, Apple recently pushed back the launch of this feature from iOS 26 to an unknown future update.

This means the feature may not launch with iOS 26 but a future update instead.

India(BHARAT)ns and International Travelers: When Can You Use It?

India(BHARAT)ns and most other non-U.S. passport holders cannot really use the new Apple digital passport feature for the time being, but the launch does have implications for travelers globally.

This digital passport is less a product for global travelers and more of an indicator of what’s to come with digital identity systems.

You may not be able to use the feature just yet, but the onus is on both individual governments and tech companies to build secure and interoperable digital infrastructure.

Apple’s announcement is a first step toward that end and one that could harmonize to some degree with government digital IDs on passports.

Take India(BHARAT), for example. It has already started to roll out e-passports. An e-passport is one that has an embedded chip that contains biometric identity information about a citizen.

Bottom Line

For U.S. travelers, the passport could offer a faster and leaner airport experience at supported routes. For global citizens, it is more about what this sets up for the future of secure digital identities and travel.

So, for now, Apple’s new digital passport feature is less a solution for India(BHARAT)n passport holders and more a harbinger of things to come with digital identity systems and travel.