Examples of digital ID cards on a phone in France – Image Credit: France Identite
France is bringing identity cards to the iPhone this summer, with the country moving to embrace digital identity cards while U.S. adoption moves at a glacial pace.
Identity cards are a well-known tool in France, as an alternate to passports and driving licenses. Approximately 25 million people use them in the country as a form of government identity, without necessarily needing the other official documents in their lives.
Now, the French government is preparing to make the digital version of the identity cards available via the iPhone. Spotted by Consomac, France Identite confirmed via X that the ID card will be going digital, and will be available on mobile devices soon.
The current plan is to make it available in time for summer vacations, all through an app titled France Identite. While Apple Wallet does support digital IDs, it is unclear whether the France Identite system will work with it, or be completely separate.
France Identite’s tweet on the digital ID initiative – Image Credit: France Identite/X
Interior minister Bruno Retaillau told Ouest France that the plan was for it to be an experiment at first, before a full rollout later in the year.
This is not the first digital identity effort that France has undertaken. In 2024, it started to offer digital versions of driving licenses. The extension to the identity card is a relatively small jump for it to perform.
France’s digital ID moves outpace the U.S.
The continuation of rolling out digital ID initiatives far outpaces that of the United States, which has been sluggish in its own efforts. While France is rolling out digital IDs across the entire country, it’s still very piecemeal in the U.S.
In January, Illinois became the latest state to enable support for digital IDs and drivers licenses in digital wallets such as Apple Wallet. It joined a roster of just ten other states that supported Apple Wallet IDs.
In some states, such as Florida, a proprietary digital ID format has been used, separate from Apple Wallet. Some other states have also pledged to add digital IDs to Apple Wallet, but have yet to actually do so.
Meanwhile, Europe is trying to work on a general framework for the entire continent, which it has been planning for years. The EU Digital Identity aims to be a wallet for a national ID card that is recognized across the EU.
However, outside of some smaller trial projects, it has yet to reach a stage for a continent-wide rollout.
Like the U.S. it seems blanket coverage of a digital ID card across the entire continent is going to take a while to complete.
