Imagine this: Today’s the day you leave for your European extravaganza. As you cram last-minute items into the suitcase, you quickly run through your mental packing list. Clean socks and underwear? Accounted for! A memory journal? Got it. Portable phone charger, headphones, outlet adaptor? Check, check, and check! It isn’t until you’re at airport security that you realize you’ve forgotten the most important item of all: your passport. If only there were a way for you to digitally present your passport—well, if you’re an Android user, there now is.
For Android users, physical passports will soon be a thing of the past. On Sept. 12, Google announced four new key features coming to Google Wallet, including digital state-issued IDs (like a driver’s license), prepaid commuter benefit cards, and advanced pass push notifications (like if the assigned seat on your boarding pass changes).
And in the very near future, Android users will also have the option to digitally store U.S. passports on their phones. The new ID pass will live in the Wallet app, where users can upload debit and credit cards, airplane tickets/transit passes, event tickets, work badges, school IDs, and gift cards.
Creating a digital passport ID will take less than 10 minutes, says Google. To start, open the Google Wallet app and select “create an ID pass with your U.S. passport.” Users will be prompted to scan their passport’s personal info page (the page with your photo) as well as the security chip located on the back of their passport.
Next, users must verify their identity by completing a selfie video. After, Google Wallet will review your information for verification and ping you when your ID pass is ready (typically within minutes).
“People are increasingly looking for ways to digitize everyday items—with one of the top requests being a digital ID. Last year we began rolling out the ability to save select state-issued digital IDs to Wallet. Starting soon, we’ll begin beta testing a new type of digital ID in Google Wallet, giving more people in more places a way to create and store a digital ID, now with a U.S. passport. This new ID pass works at select TSA checkpoints, saving you time and stress at the airport when you’re traveling domestically,” the tech giant said in a press release.
Airports in more than 20 states are currently accepting forms of digital IDs, including mobile driver’s licenses. An interactive map on the Transportation Security Administration’s (TSA) website allows travelers to search by state and airport—California, Texas, Illinois, Florida, New York, Hawaii, Arizona, and Colorado are among those on the list.
It’s important to note that not all state-issued IDs can be saved on Google Wallet. California ID holders were recently approved, and those with an Iowa, New Mexico, or Ohio state-issued ID will have the option to do so as well in the next few months.
With Android’s advanced security, users can create digital IDs in confidence with the understanding that their personal information is in safe hands. To access a digital ID pass, “you must authenticate using your fingerprint, PIN, or passcode before the ID pass is viewable or shareable,” explained Google.
