New Mexico is joining states like AND in supporting in Apple Wallet and Google Wallet. New Mexico residents are still required by law to carry their physical IDs for law enforcement and age verification, but at businesses and TSA checkpoints that have adopted New Mexico you will be able to touch your smartphone instead of taking out a card.
You can now add digital licenses to Apple and Google apps by scanning the front and back of your physical ID, taking a scan of your face, and submitting your digital request for verification. Once added, digital IDs can be retrieved and used in the same way you would pay with a digital payment card. Google posted a video on how to add your card to Google Wallet, and Apple has one on how to add IDs to Apple Wallet, if you are looking for suggestions.
First the New Mexico Motor Vehicle Division to “offer electronic credentials to customers at no additional cost” in January 2024. The rollout of digital IDs continues to be a complex process, with 12 states currently offer some form of digital identification, but only Arizona, California, Colorado, Georgia, Maryland, and New Mexico currently offer IDs for both Google and Apple apps. To make things even more confusing, some states like Ohio, Hawaii, and Iowa offer IDs for Apple Wallet but not for the Google app.
Even switching to a digital-only wallet is not without potential risks. The American Civil Liberties Union ‘ rapid adoption of digital driving licenses without introducing additional protections for cardholders. These include things like preventing issuers and identity verifiers from tracking digital card use and preserving the right not to use a digital card for anyone who doesn’t own or can’t afford a smartphone. Apple and Google’s solutions offer privacy protection in terms of encrypting your information and keeping your device locked even after you present your ID, but they don’t fully take into account how state or federal governments might access these new systems digital.
