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Apple's iPhone Driver's License Feature Now Available in 11 U.S. States

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In select U.S. states, residents can add their driver's license or state ID to the Wallet app on the iPhone and Apple Watch, providing a convenient and contactless way to display proof of identity or age at select airports and businesses, and in select apps.

apple-wallet-drivers-license-feature-iPhone-15-pro-teal-1.jpg

Apple recently revealed that the feature would soon be available in North Dakota, and starting today, the feature has officially gone live in the state.

North Dakota is the 11th U.S. state to offer the feature, with more to follow. Interestingly, Apple's website says the North Dakota Department of Transportation requires its residents to pay a $5 fee to obtain a mobile driver's license.

north-dakota-id-wallet.jpg

"When adding your North Dakota ID to Wallet you will be directed to make this required payment to the DOT to finish adding your ID to Wallet," says Apple.

Below, we have recapped key details about the feature and its availability.

Compatibility

To add a driver's license to the Wallet app, you need an iPhone 8 or later running iOS 16.5 or later, or an Apple Watch Series 4 or later running watchOS 9.5 or later. However, these requirements can vary for specific states and use cases.

To set up the feature, open the Wallet app and tap on the plus sign in the top-right corner. Next, select Driver's License and ID Cards and follow the steps.

Supported States

Apple-Wallet-ID-Cards.jpg

The following states offer driver's licenses in the Wallet app:The feature is also available in Puerto Rico.

Future States

Apple and state governments have previously announced that the following U.S. states have signed on to adopt the feature in the future:
  • West Virginia
  • Connecticut
  • Kentucky
  • Mississippi
  • Oklahoma
  • Utah
  • Illinois
Participating Airports

Apple says travelers should refer to TSA checkpoint signage to confirm availability of the feature.

Apple previously said Wallet IDs can be used at select TSA checkpoints in the following U.S. airports, but it no longer maintains a public list:
  • Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI)
  • Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA)
  • Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX)
  • Denver International Airport (DEN)
  • Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL)
  • Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky Airport (CVG)
  • John Glenn Columbus International Airport (CMH)
  • San Francisco International Airport (SFO)
  • San Jose Mineta International Airport (SJC)
  • Los Angeles International (LAX)
  • Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL)
  • Des Moines International Airport (DSM)
  • Eastern Iowa Airport (CID)
  • Albuquerque International Sunport (ABQ)
  • Lea County Regional Airport (HOB)
  • Luis Munoz Marin International Airport (SJU)
  • Billings Logan International Airport (BIL)
  • Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport (BZN)
  • Great Falls International Airport (GTF)
  • Missoula International Airport (MSO)
Apple Wallet IDs can also be used to show proof of age or identity at select businesses and venues in the U.S., but there is no list of locations.

Article Link: Apple's iPhone Driver's License Feature Now Available in 11 U.S. States
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2025/09/30/apple-wallet-drivers-license-11th-state/
Back in 2021, I would have thought that by the time I had read my 50th article about this feature, my state would have been included in one of them. Sad to say, but if your state hasn't even announced that they are thinking about it, then it probably isn't ever going to happen.
 
I live in Ohio and 0 places accept this. Grocery stores, bars, police. No one accepts this as valid ID so I'm not sure what the point is. It says right on the Ohio government website it doesn't replace the need for it.
 
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masterhiggins said:
Why would you voluntarily hand over your phone to the police?
Click to expand...
This pops up like clockwork!

You scan it at a terminal. No handing phone to police. Never happens. It's like Apple Pay. It really IS Apple Pay, just for a different type of card, ID card.

Except of course the fact that police don't accept this, but they will eventually (Georgia and Montana signed onto accepting this for all uses that a normal driver's license/state ID is used). Laws need to be changed (and have changed in some states) to enable it to be acceptable to scan your phone, phone doesn't leave your hand.
 
CopyPaste said:
I live in Ohio and 0 places accept this. Grocery stores, bars, police. No one accepts this as valid ID so I'm not sure what the point is. It says right on the Ohio government website it doesn't replace the need for it.
Click to expand...
Same in California. To add insult to injury, the California ID keeps expiring and requiring an onerous re-verification process every time. I recently upgraded my phone and dropped the pointless ID when it demanded yet another verification circus to transfer across phones. It’s much worse than useless.
 
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Totally and completely worthless. No photo. Can't use with police or to show age to anybody. It's called a "driver's license" except you can't you can't use it to drive. You can use it as age ID at a bar if they have the equipment to read it, and even if one bar in my state does, I'm older than most bars and don't drink.

It's a Monty Python dead parrot. The smart states are those that do not offer it.

Airport TSA will soon be nailing feet to the perch level. A few airport TSA's that can use it, like SFO, are piloting a face ID system in the pre-check lines. Used it at SFO recently and much simpler. You just look at a camera, it recognizes who you are and tells TSA if you are okay to fly.
 
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jaytv111 said:
This pops up like clockwork!

You scan it at a terminal. No handing phone to police. Never happens. It's like Apple Pay. It really IS Apple Pay, just for a different type of card, ID card.

Except of course the fact that police don't accept this, but they will eventually (Georgia and Montana signed onto accepting this for all uses that a normal driver's license/state ID is used). Laws need to be changed (and have changed in some states) to enable it to be acceptable to scan your phone, phone doesn't leave your hand.
Click to expand...
Already changed in some states? Which? If and when they do, what terminal will an officer bring to the window of your car? Are these states going to issue iphones to all officers to read your wallet?

If the officer is going to carry something to read the apple wallet, better if they have a device that works like Apple Face ID and simply scan your face. That's what TSA pre-check is already piloting at some airports.
 
dannyyankou said:
No offense to North Dakota, but how are they adopting this before New York?

I mean, New York has their own app, but no Wallet integration.
Click to expand...
The same reason very small companies can pivot to new operating systems and patches much sooner than large ones.

California is orders of magnitude larger than North Dakota or Wyoming or even a semi-larger state like Ohio... so it takes longer.

Whenever I deploy something I have to think about 25,000 PCs and 12,000 Macs. When I worked in a law office with 8 employees who went to lunch at noon together, I could make the changes while everyone was at lunch.
 
masterhiggins said:
Why would you voluntarily hand over your phone to the police?
Click to expand...

WTF??? Please STOP spreading FALSE narrative!!!

No one hands over their phone to the police. It is exactly like Apple Pay. You simply tap it on a device the police is suppose to have or like an airline ticket, you simply double click your action button to show the ID.
 
Can anyone who knows, help me to understand the difference between this and a dedicated app? I'm in MO and we have a separate app to achieve this, so I don't think we will ever truly support the wallet driver license thing. But - is there a particular reason for MO not to? I know when I talked to one person they had some floating icon thing that they claimed meant it was authentic; how does the wallet app compare?

I got the app but still carry my ID everywhere, so... it didn't really change anything.
 
yukari said:
WTF??? Please STOP spreading FALSE narrative!!!

No one hands over their phone to the police. It is exactly like Apple Pay. You simply tap it on a device the police is suppose to have or like an airline ticket, you simply double click your action button to show the ID.
Click to expand...
The false narrative is that this has any utility, whatsoever. Officers don't carry applepay scanners. Tried to use mine at the SFO TSA PreCheck line recently and they said, "No need. Just look at the camera. We're testing facial ID." It's called TSA PreCheck Touchless ID. Didn't have to pull out my iphone and double-click and then stuff it back into my backpack for the carry-on scan.
 
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