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Google Wallet ID Pass: How Passport Digital ID Works

    Google Wallet ID Pass is a digital identity credential created from verified passport information. It is not a photo or simple digital copy of the passport. During setup, Google Wallet asks you to scan the passport information page, read the passport’s embedded security chip with NFC, and record a video of your face. After verification, the resulting ID Pass is encrypted and stored on your phone.

    Google currently lists valid passports from Brazil, Singapore, Taiwan, the United Kingdom, and the United States as supported for ID Pass creation. The phone must run Android 9 or later, support NFC, and have a screen lock configured.1

    Keep your physical passport or other required identification with you. Google states that an ID Pass is not an official form of identification or a universal replacement for physical documents. A U.S.-passport ID Pass can be used at supported TSA security checkpoints for domestic flights, but acceptance depends on the location and use case.

    What Google Wallet ID Pass Is

    An ID Pass is a passport-derived digital credential inside Google Wallet. Instead of asking you to photograph a passport and save the image, Wallet uses information from the passport itself and an identity-verification step to create a credential designed for supported digital identity transactions.

    This makes ID Pass different from simply keeping a passport scan on your phone. A photo is only an image of a document. An ID Pass is created through a setup process that includes the physical passport’s electronic chip and verification that the person enrolling is associated with the passport.

    It is also different from a state-issued driver’s license or state ID saved in Google Wallet. Those credentials originate from participating state programs and involve the issuing government agency. ID Pass is Google’s passport-based credential and follows a separate enrollment process.

    How Google Wallet Creates an ID Pass From Your Passport

    The enrollment process combines information from the physical passport with a live facial verification step. You need the actual passport during setup because Wallet must read its information page and electronic security chip.

    Before starting, NFC must be enabled. Google also requires an Android phone running Android 9 or later with NFC support and a configured screen lock. Bluetooth and Nearby devices must be enabled when using the ID Pass after it has been created.

    1. Open the Google Wallet app and choose Add to Google Wallet.
    2. Select ID, choose ID Pass, and select the region that issued your passport.
    3. Scan the passport information page containing your photograph and personal details.
    4. Hold the phone near the passport so NFC can read its embedded security chip.
    5. Record the requested video of your face for identity verification.
    6. Select the available review method, confirm the request, and submit it for verification.

    Google sends a notification when the verification process has finished. The passport cannot already be linked to another ID Pass in Google Wallet on one of your devices.2

    Why Wallet Uses the Passport Page, Security Chip, and Face Video

    The three enrollment inputs serve different purposes in the creation process.

    • Passport information page: Wallet captures the identifying information printed in the passport.
    • Passport security chip: The phone uses NFC to read the electronic information stored in the passport’s chip.
    • Face video: The video is used to verify that the person creating the ID Pass corresponds to the passport holder.

    Reading the chip is why an ordinary photograph of a passport cannot be turned directly into an ID Pass. The phone needs NFC access to the physical passport during enrollment.

    In some cases, Google allows users to choose automated face matching or human review. Google says automated matching can complete within seconds, while manual review usually takes no more than 30 minutes. For automated matching, Google says the face templates and biometric data created for that comparison are deleted after verification has been completed and the request has been confirmed.3

    What Happens When You Present Your ID Pass

    Creating the credential and presenting it are separate actions. Storing an ID Pass in Wallet does not automatically send passport information to every service that supports digital identity.

    Google Wallet currently supports ID Pass presentation through compatible NFC readers and QR-code flows. In either case, Wallet gives you an opportunity to review the information being requested before you approve the transaction. Authentication on the phone is required before the information can be shared.

    1. A compatible service or reader requests identity information.
    2. You open or present the ID Pass through the supported Wallet flow.
    3. Google Wallet displays the information requested for that transaction.
    4. You choose whether to continue or cancel.
    5. If you continue, Wallet requires device authentication before sharing the approved information.

    For an NFC transaction, Google instructs users to unlock the phone and hold its back near the compatible terminal. For a QR transaction, the ID Pass displays a QR code that the verifier can scan. These are presentation methods; support still depends on the service or reader accepting Google Wallet digital IDs.4

    Google also allows ID Pass to be used with certain compatible apps and websites for identity or age checks. When a connected service requests a digital ID, Wallet shows the requested information and asks for approval before sharing it. Availability varies by service.

    U.S. travel use has a narrower rule. Google states that only ID Passes created from a U.S. passport can be used at TSA security in supported airports for domestic flights. Google says passport-based ID Passes from non-U.S. regions cannot be used for immigration or travel.

    How the ID Pass Is Stored on Your Phone

    After creation, the ID Pass is encrypted and stored locally on the device in Google Wallet. Google states that the credential itself is not stored in the user’s Google Account. Because it is treated as sensitive locally stored data, its contents cannot be downloaded through Google Takeout.

    A passport can be associated with only one Google Wallet ID Pass at a time. The passport-based credential is also tied to the device rather than automatically appearing on another phone when you sign in to the same Google Account.

    Google Wallet’s ID Pass activity history is off by default. If you enable it, Wallet can show who the ID Pass was shared with, which information was shared, and when the sharing occurred. Google states that this activity history is stored on the device and can be viewed after authentication.5

    Moving an ID Pass to Another Phone

    An ID Pass does not transfer to a new Android phone like an ordinary Wallet pass linked to a Google Account. If you want to use the same passport on another device, the existing passport ID Pass must first be removed from the current device and then created again on the new phone.

    This device-bound behavior is also why signing in to Google Wallet on a replacement phone does not automatically restore the passport credential. The new device must complete the ID Pass enrollment process before the passport-based credential can be used there.6

    The practical distinction is straightforward: your physical passport remains the underlying document, while Google Wallet ID Pass provides a separate digital credential for services that explicitly support it. Creating the ID Pass does not digitize every legal function of the passport, and acceptance should be confirmed for the specific transaction where you plan to use it.