Eight States to Debut Apple Wallet Drivers' Licenses and State IDs

Apple announced on Wednesday (Sept. 1) that residents in eight U.S. states will be able to add their drivers' licenses or state IDs to their Apple Wallets on their iPhones and their Apple Watches in the future.

Arizona and Georgia will be the first to roll out the offering, followed by Connecticut, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Oklahoma and Utah.

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) will also enable select airport security checkpoints and lanes in participating airports as the first locations for the Apple Wallet-based licenses or state IDs.

“The addition of drivers' licenses and state IDs to Apple Wallet is an important step in our vision of replacing the physical wallet with a secure and easy-to-use mobile wallet,” said Jennifer Bailey, Apple’s vice president of Apple Pay and Apple Wallet, in the company announcement.

“We are excited that the TSA and so many states are already on board to help bring this to life for travelers across the country using only their iPhone and Apple Watch, and we are already in discussions with many more states as we’re working to offer this nationwide in the future,” she said.

“This new and innovative mobile drivers' license and state ID initiative with Apple and states around the country will enable a more seamless airport security screening experience for travelers,” said David Pekoske, TSA administrator, in the Apple announcement. “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.”

Related: BNPL Space Gets Crowded as Apple Pay Later Enters Fray

Apple is working on an Apple Pay perk that would let users pay for purchases over time. The initiative, known as Apple Pay Later, would mirror the Apple Card program that lets cardholders buy Apple items (such as iPhones) with 0 percent financing if they pay for them within 24 months.

Apple Pay Later members would not need an Apple Card, but do have to apply for the program through the Apple Wallet app. Payments would come every two weeks, with no interest, or would be spread across several months, with interest added.