The U.S. Transportation Security Administration now accepts Maryland-issued mobile driver’s licenses and ID cards at 25 participating U.S. airports, the agency announced Thursday. The service currently is limited to travelers with TSA PreCheck and who have their ID available in Google Wallet on Android mobile phones.
To present the mobile ID at a TSA checkpoint, passengers must turn on Bluetooth and hold their Android smartphone or watch on the Credential Authentication Technology reader device. The information is transmitted and verified against the information from the ID in Google Wallet and the reservation data that would have been on the passenger’s boarding pass.
The information “is encrypted and securely transmitted digitally,” eliminating the need for passengers to show or hand over their device to a TSA officer, according to the agency. Still, all passengers need to carry and have available their physical ID should it be required for identity verification.
“We continue to work closely with other states on deploying this capability across the country,” TSA administrator David Pekoske said in a statement. “TSA is committed to collaborating on international, open standards that provide enhanced security, privacy protections and offer airline passengers a more efficient and convenient travel experience.”
