The Google Wallet digital wallet now allows you to store a passport using a simple photo. A function which has practical advantages… but which remains for the moment limited to internal flights in the United States.

The Google Wallet digital wallet now allows you to store a passport using a simple photo. A function which has practical advantages… but which remains for the moment limited to internal flights in the United States.

The Google Wallet digital wallet already allows you to store means of payment, transport tickets or entry tickets in digital form on your phone. Last July, the Mountain View firm announced that the application could also, in the future, store a virtual copy of other types of documents, such as an identity card, a passport, a driving license, a loyalty or subscription card (see our article). The thing comes to fruition today, since it finally officially supports passports, although this is valid for the moment only for domestic flights within the United States, as reported 9to5google. This promises to be an excellent way to speed up the passage of security checks, while reducing the risk of losing this precious identity document.

Google Wallet: the digital passport makes its debut

Expected for several months, the function to add your passport as an ID in Google Wallet is now available to all users equipped with Android 9 or a newer version, through version 24.47.35 of Google Play services.

The process of adding the passport in Google Wallet is very simple. All you have to do is take a photo of the information page of your passport or enter the data manually, then scan the security chip found in the identity document with the phone. To confirm their identity and compare it to the passport photo, the application then asks the user to briefly film their face. And there you have it, that’s it! If the device is lost or stolen, the digital passport can be deleted remotely via myaccount.google.com.

Once the passport is scanned, simply scan a QR code or hold your phone close to an NFC reader at the airport checkpoint. Be careful, this won’t work everywhere! The digital passport in Google Wallet is only accepted at certain Transportation Security Administration (TSA) checkpoints, such as LAX, LaGuardia Airport, and Chicago O’Hare International Airport. It is not supported for international flights. Google makes it clear that this is not a government-issued ID nor a substitute for its physical ID. It is therefore better to keep it with you in case of need.