You Can Now Use Apple's Digital ID Card to Go Through Airport Security

There's no bigger panic than arriving at the airport only to realize you've left your ID at home. But that fear will soon be a thing of the past—so long as you have an iPhone or Apple Watch.

On Wednesday, Arizona became the first state to roll out Apple's new digital ID program, in which users can add their driver's license or state ID to their digital wallets for use at certain airport security checkpoints.

To add their ID to their Apple Wallet, travelers must click the "+" sign in the app, select “Driver’s License or State ID,” then upload photos of their physical ID and complete an authentication process that includes facial recognition.

Once the ID is added, Apple users can simply tap their iPhone or Apple Watch onto the readers at certain airport security checkpoints and approve the interaction with Face ID or Touch ID—there's no need to hand anything to the TSA officer.

“We’re thrilled to bring the first driver’s license and state ID in Wallet to Arizona today, and provide Arizonans with an easy, secure, and private way to present their ID when traveling, through just a tap of their iPhone or Apple Watch,” Jennifer Bailey, Apple’s vice president of Apple Pay and Apple Wallet, said in a statement. “We look forward to working with many more states and the TSA to bring IDs in Wallet to users across the US.”

Right now, Apple's digital ID is only available to Arizonans, and the only TSA checkpoints that are enabled to scan the IDs are at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX). On both counts, availability will grow over time. The program is scheduled to roll out next to Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Hawaii, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Mississippi, Ohio, Oklahoma, Utah, and Puerto Rico.