Android Users Can Upload a Digital Passport for Travel

As Apple and Google continue to enhance their digital ID technologies for state mobile driver's licenses in Apple and Google Wallet, Google has introduced a feature for international travel in its wallet.

In a recent update, we learned that U.S. passport holders can now store a digital passport in Google Wallet for use at specific U.S. Transportation Security Administration checkpoints.

According to the TSA, digital IDs are accepted at 28 U.S. airports, but only Apple and Google provide support for digital IDs (from select states) via state Departments of Motor Vehicles. States are responsible for verifying digital IDs by confirming users' identities. Once verified, users can create and store a digital ID on their phones.

Apple's digital ID is currently available in Arizona, Maryland, Colorado, Georgia, and Ohio, with plans to launch in California later this year. In 2023, Google rolled out a feature allowing Android users to store their digital ID in California, with Iowa, New Mexico, and Ohio expected to follow soon (and Colorado later on).

While Android users can download Google Wallet right away, it is not compatible with Apple devices. Digital IDs can be used on iPhones 8 and newer (running iOS 16.5 or later) and on Apple Watch Series 4 and newer (operating on watchOS 9.5 or later).

"This announcement is part of a Google initiative and is built on the same platform as other digital IDs compatible with TSA readers," stated a TSA spokesperson. "From our standpoint, we scan the passport and handle the transaction the same way we do with other forms of digital IDs and mobile driver’s licenses."

Once fully launched, digital passports stored in Google Wallet will be usable at any U.S. airport equipped with digital ID technology, specifically:

• Los Angeles International Airport (LAX)
• San Jose Mineta International Airport (SJC)
• San Francisco International Airport (SFO)
• Harry Reid International Airport (LAS) in Las Vegas
• Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX)
• Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC)
• Denver International Airport (DEN)
• Will Rogers World Airport (OKC) in Oklahoma City
• Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW)
• Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport (MSY)
• Gulfport-Biloxi International Airport (GPT) in Mississippi
• Jackson-Medgar Wiley Evers International Airport (JAN) in Mississippi
• Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL)
• Miami International Airport (MIA)
• Nashville International Airport (BNA)
• Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG)
• John Glenn Columbus International Airport (CMH)
• Richmond International Airport (RIC)
• Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) near Washington, D.C.
• O'Hare International Airport (ORD) in Chicago
• Des Moines International Airport (DSM)
• Eastern Iowa Airport (CID) in Cedar Rapids, Iowa
• Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (DTW)
• John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) in New York City
• LaGuardia Airport (LGA) in New York City
• Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI)
• Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport (SJU) in San Juan, Puerto Rico
• Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL) in Honolulu

The agency reports that as more states begin to adopt digital IDs, the TSA will introduce compatible identity verification machines at additional airports. Some states offer their own variants of digital IDs that travelers can utilize to pass through security, which are managed through state-developed applications.

While digital IDs offer enhanced convenience and a touchless experience, it's crucial to remember that the TSA still mandates travelers to have a physical form of identification at airport security checkpoints, as it may be necessary for verifying identity.

The State Department has refrained from commenting on when digital passports will be fully available for travel purposes.