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Maryland residents can now bring a digital version of their driver’s license or ID card to their phone and then use it to pass security checks at two of Washington’s airports.
Mobile credentials stored in Apple Wallet are acceptable at Baltimore-Washington Marshall and Reagan International Airports, the Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration and Transportation Safety Administration announced Wednesday.
The TSA has been working with Apple and several states since last year to allow the use of the digital version of credentials in airport security lanes. Maryland is the second state to offer the option. Arizona residents in March were eligible to store copies of their IDs on their iPhone or Apple Watch and tap the feature to present their ID at TSA checkpoints at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport.
Federal officials said the technology is only available to passengers on TSA PreCheck lanes, but the agency is working to expand capacity to other passengers. TSA spokeswoman Lisa Farbstein said the expansion is limited by the availability of readers of “credential authentication technology” that TSA officials use at document checkpoints.
Washington Dulles International Airport does not have the technology to accept mobile driver’s licenses, Farbstein said.
DC is in the process of issuing electronic versions of its driver’s licenses
Proponents of her case have been working to make the actual transcript of this statement available online.
The availability of mobile licenses and their acceptance as proof of identity marks a milestone, officials said, adding that the option will improve security and privacy for ID holders, while offering an option without contact at checkpoints.
“Maryland Mobile ID on Apple Wallet offers additional security and privacy benefits over physical state identification or driver’s license so Maryland residents can review personal information they share with others and use Face Biometric Authentication ID or Touch ID to authorize it “, MVA. Administrator Chrissy Nizer said in a statement. He said the agency expects the number of locations that accept mobile identification to grow.
More than 20 states have considered, tested, or released digital versions of their driver’s licenses. Last year, Apple announced plans to release driver’s licenses and state IDs on the iPhone and Apple Watch as part of a partnership with several states, including Arizona, Connecticut, Georgia, Iowa, Kentucky, and Maryland. Oklahoma and Utah.
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The DC Council in December passed legislation that would allow the city to issue driver’s licenses and electronic IDs. The law would allow people to present their identification in an electronic format, such as a smartphone, instead of a physical credential, except when prohibited by federal law.
The Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles said last fall that it is also looking to develop a mobile driver’s license, after successfully testing the use of digital credentials in 2016 and concluding that it was “technically feasible” to offer the option.
In Maryland, residents with a valid state ID or license can get the mobile option on the Apple Wallet on an iPhone 8 or later, or an Apple Watch Series 4 or later, with the latest version of the operating software.
To sign up, users can tap the “more” button at the top of the Apple Wallet screen on their iPhone and select “Driver’s license or status ID” and follow the instructions, which include taking a photo of his ID and a photograph on his head to send. to the MVA for verification.
Even if they use the mobile ID at the airport, passengers should continue to carry their driver’s license or physical ID card, the TSA said, noting that they could still be asked to show their ID. ‘physical identifier.