Maryland launches Mobile ID for Apple Wallet
GettyImages/ Helen King
The Wallet-based digital IDs can be used for identity verification at airport screening locations.
Maryland residents can now add a digital driver’s license or ID to their Apple Wallet and present it on their iPhone or Apple Watch at select airport security checkpoints at local airports.
The launch of Maryland Mobile ID in Apple Wallet follows a digital driver’s license pilot conducted by the Department of Transportation’s Motor Vehicle Administration in 2017.
Maryland is the second state to partner with the Transportation Security Administration to offer Apple Wallet-based digital IDs for identity verification at airport screening locations. Arizona rolled out the technology for the Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport checkpoints in March. Several other states -- including Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Hawaii, Iowa, Kentucky, Mississippi, Ohio and Oklahoma and Utah -- are in the process of allowing residents to securely add a digital driver’s license or state ID to the Wallet app on their iPhone and Apple Watch.
Maryland Mobile ID in Apple Wallet takes advantage of the security features in Apple devices. Identity data is encrypted, and biometric authentication through the device’s Face ID or Touch ID ensures that only the person who added the ID to the device can view or present it in Apple Wallet. At airport checkpoints, identity information is transmitted digitally, eliminating the need for passengers to show or hand over their device to a TSA officer.
Only residents with a current valid driver’s license can get a mobile ID, which serves as a digital version – and not a replacement -- of the physical, plastic driver’s license or ID, officials said. Marylanders must continue to carry their physical driver’s license or ID with them.
“Maryland Mobile ID in Apple Wallet offers additional security and privacy benefits than the physical state ID or driver’s license because Marylanders get to review the personal information they share with others, and use biometric authentication with Face ID or Touch ID to authorize it,” said MDOT MVA Administrator Chrissy Nizer. “Over time, we expect the locations accepting mobile ID to grow, but we are excited to partner with the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to allow Maryland residents to present their Maryland Mobile ID in Apple Wallet at participating airports.”