North Carolina Sets December Rollout for Mobile IDs as Apple Wallet Prepares Four-State Expansion
State DMV confirms December rollout ahead of broader digital wallet expansion across four states.
North Carolina residents will be able to store digital driver’s licenses on their smartphones starting this December, as the state’s Division of Motor Vehicles confirmed plans to deploy a mobile ID program. The launch positions North Carolina as one of four new states preparing to join Apple Wallet, which currently supports digital credentials in 14 jurisdictions.
These digital IDs will first be available in the state’s NC Wallet app (not to be confused with a crypto app of the same name). The DMV expects to expand support to Apple Wallet, Google Wallet and Samsung Wallet early next year. Those with a valid North Carolina driver license or state ID will be able to set up a mobile ID at no extra cost.
Digital driver’s licenses rely on encrypted wireless data transmission protocols, such as Near Field Communication, which allow identity verification terminals to request only specific data fields—such as proof of age—without requiring users to unlock or hand over their personal devices.
The DMV notes that TSA checkpoints at more than 250 airports across the US accept its mobile IDs, including Charlotte Douglas International Airport and Raleigh-Durham International Airport. Law enforcement officers will treat mobile IDs as valid identification as well. But if an officer doesn’t have a compatible reader when they stop someone’s car, they might ask the driver to read out the information from the license. The agency also suggests it might be best for folks to still carry the physical version of their credentials as a backup while “retailers, restaurants and other businesses transition to mobile IDs.”
Elsewhere, Apple Wallet may soon support digital IDs in Oklahoma, Utah and Virginia after MacRumors reported seeing code indicating upcoming integration, though no launch schedule was provided. Arizona was the first state to sign up for the program, which currently encompasses Maryland, Colorado, Georgia, Ohio, Hawaii, California, Iowa, New Mexico, Montana, North Dakota, West Virginia, Illinois, Arkansas and Puerto Rico.
