You'll Soon Be Able to Use Your iPhone to Pass Through Airport Security

Forgetting your driver's license before a flight may no longer matter if you have an iPhone.

This week, Apple announced the rollout of featuring state driver's licenses and IDs in Apple Wallet. Arizona and Georgia are already participating while Connecticut, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Oklahoma, and Utah are set to follow.

Residents of these states will be able to use their phones to present their IDs wherever necessary, including at Transportation Security Administration (TSA) checkpoints at airports around the country.

"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," TSA Administrator, David Pekoske, said in a statement. "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."

In order to add driver's licenses to an iPhone user's Apple Wallet, residents would follow the same steps that they would to add a credit card. Once their state has been given the greenlight, customers can use their iPhone to scan a photo of their physical ID and take a selfie, which will be used for verification. Their phone will then ask them to "complete a series of facial and head movements during the setup process" for additional security, according to a press release.

Once the ID has been set up in Apple Wallet, it can also be shared with a customer's Apple Watch, meaning a user won't even need to take out their phone to show ID when necessary.

When it comes time to show ID to TSA, the device will request Face ID or Touch ID verification of identity, ensuring that only the person whose ID is being shown can use it.

There are, of course, several security features built in: neither the state nor Apple will know when or where a user presents their ID and encrypted communication means that users will not need to unlock or hand over their phones.

Participating states and the TSA will share more information about when the mobile IDs will be available to use.

Cailey Rizzo is a contributing writer for Travel + Leisure, currently based in Brooklyn. You can find her on Twitter, Instagram, or at caileyrizzo.com.