Disclosure. We make Paperlock, and it appears in the comparison table below. Several of the options on this page are free and already on your phone, and for some readers they're the right answer.
Two different things called "my passport on my phone"
People searching for this usually want one of two things, and they get mixed up.
An official digital ID. A credential issued through Apple Wallet that some checkpoints accept in place of the card. It's verified, it's limited, and only certain places take it.
A private reference copy. A photo of your passport's data page and both sides of your license and cards, kept for the day the original is lost, stolen or simply in a drawer at home while you're filling in a form.
The first can stand in for ID in specific situations. The second never can: a picture of your passport is not a passport. Paperlock, the app we make, is in the second group. It stores copies; it doesn't produce an official ID.
What Apple Wallet IDs can and can't do
Apple Wallet has two kinds of ID, and Apple is careful about the limits of both.
Driver's license or state ID in Wallet. You can add an eligible license or state ID on iPhone and Apple Watch, but only in select U.S. states and territories. Apple says you can use it at select TSA checkpoints in participating locations and advises checking that your airport accepts mobile ID before you travel. Apple also states plainly that ID in Wallet "is not a replacement for a physical ID which may still be needed," with law enforcement as its example.
Digital ID from a U.S. passport. Apple lets you create an ID in Wallet using your U.S. passport. Its own footnote says Digital ID "can only be used at select TSA checkpoints in the U.S. to verify identity for domestic travel." It is not a government-issued passport, it is not a replacement for a physical passport, and it can't be used where a passport is required, such as crossing a border. For international travel you still need the passport itself.
TSA's Digital ID page says digital IDs work at more than 250 airports and that passengers must still carry an acceptable physical ID. Even the official version rides alongside the card.
The private copy: what to photograph
Get the copy right first. One clear photo beats five blurry ones.
- Passport: the data page with your photo, number, dates and the two lines of code at the bottom. Add any page with a visa or residence stamp you rely on.
- Driver's license and ID cards: both sides. The back often holds the barcode, endorsements or restrictions.
- Other cards: health insurance, residence permits, Global Entry or similar cards, again front and back.
Shoot on a dark, plain surface in daylight, with no glare across the numbers. Then read the expiry date off the photo while you're at it: our passport validity calculator tells you whether it's still good enough for your next trip, and the six-month rule explains why the printed date isn't the real deadline.
Where to keep it: the options compared
| Camera roll (Photos) | Hidden album | Locked note | Files app | Password manager | Email to yourself | Document vault (Paperlock) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Locked behind Face ID | No | Yes, by default since iOS 16 | Yes, if you set it up | Only if you lock the whole app | Its own lock | Your email password | Yes, on open and after about a minute away |
| Visible when you hand someone your phone | Yes, between your other photos | No | The note's title stays visible | Yes, unless the app is locked | No | Yes, if the mail app is open | No; ID and passport thumbnails stay blurred until Face ID again |
| Easy to find in a hurry | Search, if you remember | Scroll the album | Search note titles | Browse folders you made | Search item names | Search your inbox | Ask "what's my passport number?" |
| Knows the expiry date | No | No | No | No | If you type it in | No | Yes, read from the photo |
| Reminds you before it expires | No | No | No | No | Varies | No | Opt-in: 30 and 7 days, plus 6 months for passports and IDs |
| Cost | Free | Free | Free | Free | Varies | Free | Free for 25 documents; Plus $4.99 a month or $39.99 a year |
Why the camera roll is the wrong place
If your camera roll is like most people's, your passport is in there right now, between a parking spot and a birthday cake. Anyone you hand your phone to "to see Saturday's photos" can swipe one too far, and a batch of photos you share can easily include it.
The fix costs nothing. Apple's Hidden album moves a photo out of your Library so it doesn't appear anywhere else in Photos, and on iOS 16 and later the album is locked by default and needs Face ID or Touch ID to open. Move the passport there and you've closed the "swiped one too far" problem in ten seconds.
A locked note, Files, or a password manager
A locked note is a reasonable free home. You can lock notes with your device passcode or a separate password and open them with Face ID. Two details from Apple worth knowing: a locked note's title stays visible in the list, so don't call it "Passport number 123…", and you can't lock a note that has a PDF or file attached. Apple also warns that if you forget a custom notes password and can't use Face ID, it can't help you get those notes back.
Files is fine for storage, weak on privacy. You can't lock one folder, but you can lock the whole app: touch and hold the icon and choose Require Face ID. Its contents then stay out of search and notification previews.
A password manager is a strong choice if you already use one well. 1Password, for example, has dedicated Passport and Driver License items with fields for the number, name and expiry, plus Document items for uploading the photo itself. The trade-off is that you type the details in, and the copy lives wherever that service keeps your vault.
Email to yourself, and a document vault
Emailing yourself is the most common habit and the weakest option. The copy sits in your Sent folder and your inbox for years, guarded only by your email password. If you must, follow the steps in how to send important documents by email: a password-protected PDF, with the password sent another way.
A document vault is built for exactly this. In Paperlock you photograph the data page or both sides of the card, and it reads what the document is, the number and the expiry date and files it, no folders or naming. It locks with Face ID on open and again after about a minute in the background, hides its contents in the app switcher, and keeps ID and passport thumbnails blurred until you confirm with Face ID again, so showing someone a receipt doesn't show them your passport. If you turn reminders on, passports and IDs get an alert 6 months before they expire, plus 30 and 7 days. Documents are stored encrypted on the phone; iCloud sync is a Plus option and off by default.
The honest limits: iPhone only, no Android or web version, and no sharing between people, so a family member can't open your vault from their phone. Asking questions needs an internet connection and is answered partly on our servers, which read the document to answer and don't keep it. And again: it holds a copy, not an official ID. More on how it works; the expiry reminder comparison covers the reminder side in depth, and our guide to ways to lock documents on iPhone goes further on locks.
When the original goes missing
A copy earns its keep on a bad day. If a U.S. passport is lost or stolen, USAGov says to report it to the State Department right away, online with Form DS-64, by phone or by mail. Inside the U.S. you replace it in person with Form DS-11; abroad, you contact the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate. Once you report it, the passport is invalidated, and you can't use it even if it turns up later.
Your copy won't get you on a plane. It gives you the number, the issue date and the details the forms ask for. Our guides to the documents needed for a passport and what to do with an expired passport cover the rest. For what counts as valid ID anywhere, go by the official source, not by any app.
Which one to pick
- Domestic flights, and your state is supported: add your ID to Apple Wallet, and carry the card anyway.
- A free private copy, today: Hidden album or a locked note.
- You already live in a password manager: use its Passport and Document items.
- You want the copy found, the expiry known and a reminder six months out: a document vault. Ours is free for the first 25 documents.
- Never: the camera roll, or an email thread with no password.