Illinois Digital Driver’s License: Apple Wallet Setup, Uses, and Limits

The Illinois digital driver’s license is a free mobile version of your driver’s license or state ID that you can add to Apple Wallet on an iPhone, launched by the Secretary of State on November 19, 2025.¹ It works at TSA checkpoints, some businesses, and a handful of apps and websites. One thing to be clear on before you rely on it: the digital credential is a companion to your physical card, not a replacement, and you still have to carry your plastic license when you drive or deal with law enforcement.²

Who Qualifies and What You Need

You need a current, valid Illinois driver’s license or state ID card to apply for the mobile version.³ Learner’s permits don’t qualify.² You can add either your driver’s license or your state ID, but not both at the same time on the same device.

At launch, the program supports Apple Wallet only, on iPhones and paired Apple Watches. The Secretary of State’s office has said Google Wallet and Samsung Wallet support is coming, but hasn’t given a date.¹ Android users have to wait.

How to Add It to Apple Wallet

Everything happens inside the Wallet app. Open it on your iPhone, tap the plus sign in the top-right corner, and choose “Driver’s License or State ID.” Follow the prompts from there.⁴ There’s no separate state app to download. You’ll likely be asked to take a selfie and photograph the front and back of your physical card.³

Those images are encrypted and sent to the Secretary of State’s office, which compares them with the photo and data already on file. If it all matches, your mobile credential is approved and added to Wallet automatically. Blurry photos, a card that doesn’t fully show, or a damaged or altered card can trigger a denial, and you can resubmit if that happens.³

There is no fee. Adding the credential is free.

Where You Can Use It

Acceptance falls into three buckets right now:

TSA checkpoints at O’Hare, Midway, and more than 250 other airports around the country will verify your identity with the Illinois mobile ID before boarding. Even so, TSA asks that you still have a physical form of ID with you.²⁵
Businesses with compliant ID readers, such as some stadiums, bars, and restaurants, can verify your credential in person. For an age-restricted purchase, the reader can confirm you’re over 21 without showing your address or other details.
Some partner apps and websites accept it for online age or identity verification.

Businesses and agencies are not required to accept the mobile ID.³ Any place that does accept it also has to keep accepting physical IDs. Coverage is growing, but it’s still spotty, so don’t assume your mobile ID will work everywhere your plastic card does.

Why You Still Need Your Physical License

This is the point most likely to trip people up. The Secretary of State’s office is direct about it: the mobile ID is a companion to your physical card, not a substitute. Keep your plastic license on you when you drive and any time you might have to identify yourself to law enforcement.²

Under 625 ILCS 5/6-112, every driver must have their license in their immediate possession while operating a motor vehicle and must show it to law enforcement on demand.⁶ The Vehicle Code now lists the mobile driver’s license as a valid credential, but current Secretary of State guidance says the mobile ID should not be relied on as your only form of identification during a traffic stop. A dead battery or a reader that can’t talk to your phone can turn a routine stop into a headache.

What Gets Shared and What Stays Hidden

Handing over your plastic license shows the whole card at once: name, address, date of birth, photo, and license number. The mobile ID only shares what a given transaction actually needs, and you approve each request with Face ID or Touch ID before anything goes across.²

At a bar, that means the bartender’s reader can see your photo and confirmation that you’re over 21, and nothing else. The verification runs over an encrypted connection directly between your device and the reader, so neither the state nor Apple sees where or when you present it. Usage records stay encrypted on your device. The Illinois administrative rules also bar the Secretary of State’s office from storing information about when or where you use the credential.³

Current Limits at a Glance

Traffic stops and other police interactions still require your physical card.
Apple devices only, until Google Wallet and Samsung Wallet support arrives.¹
Learner’s permits aren’t eligible; only full driver’s licenses and state IDs.²
One credential per device: driver’s license or state ID, not both at once.
No business or agency is required to accept it, and many haven’t installed compliant readers yet.

For now, the digital license is most useful for airport security and the growing list of participating businesses. Keep your wallet on you anyway.

1
Illinois Secretary of State. The Day is Finally Here: Giannoulias Launches Mobile ID
2
Illinois Secretary of State. Illinois Mobile ID Frequently Asked Questions
3
Illinois General Assembly. Illinois Administrative Code 92 Part 1030.9 – Mobile Driver’s Licenses and Identification Cards
4
Illinois Secretary of State. ID in Apple Wallet
5
Transportation Security Administration. Participating States and Eligible Digital IDs
6
Illinois General Assembly. 625 ILCS 5 6-112 – License and Permits to be Carried and Exhibited on Demand