There’s a moment every frequent traveller knows well: that tiny flash of panic when you pat your pockets and wonder, “Where’s my passport?”
Now imagine that moment disappearing – not because you’ve become more organised (we can dream), but because your passport lives safely in your phone, alongside your boarding pass, your hotel keys, and the loyalty card you forgot you even had.
This is not sci-fi. Apple, Google, the EU, and several governments are building this reality – and 2025 is proving to be the year digital wallets stop being payment apps and start becoming travel infrastructure. We will be providing on-going coverage and deeper analysis of this in our reports, “Smart Borders: The Future Evolution of Land, Sea and Air Borders” and “The Digitisation of Travel Authorisations, Credentials and Visas”.
The Big Shift: Travel Identity Goes Mobile
Digital wallets have always nudged us toward convenience – tap-to-pay, digital tickets, event passes. But travel identity is different. Passports, driver’s licences, national IDs… these are the keys to crossing borders, checking into hotels, proving who we are.
What is happening now is a decisive shift from “nice mobile convenience” to “core identity layer for travel.”
Apple’s Moves: Turning its Wallet into a Travel Command Centre
Apple’s language is careful – we’re not ditching physical passports just yet – but the direction of travel (pun intended) is unmistakable. It has quietly been positioning itself as a travel hub. With iOS 26, Apple Wallet gained features that make it far more than a place to stash your flight passes:
- Early support for digital passports, including verification flows inside travel apps.
- Improvements aimed squarely at speeding up your journey through airports.
- A new Digital ID framework designed to present IDs securely, privately and verifiably.
Crucially, Apple has been strengthening its partnerships with key U.S. travel and security authorities. TSA pilots allow Wallet-based IDs at select airport checkpoints, and discussions with CBP explore future border use. Real ID-compliant states – adding Montana, Dakota West Virginia in the past six months – enable residents to add driver’s licences to Wallet for TSA PreCheck. Internationally, Apple has engaged governments on digital ID frameworks, travel verification, and secure document presentation. Launch Japan’s My Number Card on iPhone is an example of these efforts.
Google’s Play: Wide Reach, Broad Rollout
Google, meanwhile, has been laying the groundwork with its Digital ID initiative and adding digital passes and national IDs to Google Wallet across multiple markets. It is also actively transforming its Wallet platform into a hub for digital travel credentials. ID passes derived from U.S. passports and state-issued driver’s licences can already be used for TSA security at select airports, and in the UK, partnerships with the Rail Delivery Group allow Google Wallet IDs to verify eligibility for railcards and other regulated services. Google has also introduced privacy-focused features, such as Zero-Knowledge Proofs, which let users verify attributes like age without exposing full personal data.
While Google’s digital IDs are not a replacement for physical passports yet, these trials show a clear path toward wider adoption and cross-platform accessibility. For travel operators, this signals that Android users are gaining parallel access to mobile ID experiences alongside Apple users, expanding the potential reach of wallet-based identity. The Android ecosystem advantage is reach: if a country wants a national digital ID in people’s pockets, Android is usually step one.
Europe: The EUDI Wallet Sets the Pace
The European Union is taking a slightly different tack. It is doing what it does (best?): making rules, building standards, and pushing for interoperability. The EUDI Wallet initiative is now in full stride, with the legal foundations being laid for digital travel credentials across the bloc. The EU is taking a platform-agnostic approach. The EUDI Wallet aims to provide digital travel credentials without relying on Apple, Google, or other non-EU tech companies. By establishing common standards and legal frameworks, the EU ensures interoperability, compliance, and data sovereignty.
Even better, industry players are already testing real-world use cases – trials with Amadeus and Lufthansa have demonstrated that airlines can integrate the EUDI Wallet into booking and boarding flows, while EU policymakers continue building the legal foundation for broader acceptance. This showed that airlines can plug into this new identity layer without ripping out their entire digital architecture.
And the Standards Bodies? They’re Not Sitting Still
ICAO – the people who define what a passport actually is – are moving forward with Digital Travel Credentials (DTCs). These are the building blocks for wallet-based passports. We are still in “augmentation” territory rather than full “replacement,” but the roadmap is there, and stakeholders are watching closely.
Why All This Matters: A Friendlier, Faster, More Secure Journey
This transformation isn’t just for the tech press. It has real, meaningful implications for how travel works.
- Smoother Check-In and Security — Digital passports verified in-app before the airport streamline the journey.
- Reduced Fraud and Greater Trust — Cryptographically verified IDs are harder to forge.
- Traveler Expectation — Once used, digital ID feels normal; paper passports start to feel outdated.
- New Commercial Opportunities — Verified identity enables pre-verified lanes, instant age checks, auto-completed visas, and seamless intermodal travel, unlocking both convenience and revenue potential.
But (And There’s Always a But): Challenges Remain
This isn’t all smooth sailing and there remains a lot to be worked out.
- Patchwork Regulations — Countries vary in pace and interoperability.
- Airport Readiness — Hardware, systems integration, and training take time.
- Platform Dependence — Reliance on Apple/Google raises strategic questions; the EU may provide an alternative.
- Privacy Concerns — Wallets must be transparent and trustworthy.
So What’s the Outlook?
Here’s where I think we’re heading:
In the Next 12 Months…
- Digital IDs will appear in more national apps.
- Airlines will quietly roll out digital ID trials inside their apps.
- Early adopters (hello, road warriors!) will become power users.
- Airports will start carving out digital-credential lanes.
In 2–4 Years…
- The majority of check-ins for major airlines will support digital credentials.
- Digital travel credentials will be recognised at an increasing number of borders.
- EU travellers will enjoy the most seamless digital identity experience globally.
- Paper passports will still exist – but might not leave your bag very often.
The endgame? A phone-based identity layer that follows you globally, underpinned by standards, accepted by governments, and used across the travel industry.
It won’t happen overnight. But it will happen — and faster than many expect.
Final Thought: Our Phones are Becoming the New Travel Hub
If mobile boarding passes were the “first wave” of digital travel, digital identity is the tidal shift behind them. We’re moving into an era where the travel ecosystem connects directly to the wallet in your pocket – securely, conveniently, and with the potential for entirely new experiences.
The next time you reach into your bag for your passport, enjoy the nostalgia. It may not be long before that familiar booklet is just along for the ride.
John Devlin, Director Airports & Borders
