Japan’s Individual Number Card – also known as My Number Card – is coming to Apple Wallet, a first for official identity documents outside of the US.
The country clearly expects residents to take some time to get used to the idea: It’s being announced around a year ahead of its rollout next spring …
Apple Digital ID
Apple’s long-term vision for the Wallet app is that it can completely replace all our physical cards – not just payment cards, but also things like drivers licence and state and national ID cards.
The company first announced support for digital ID cards back in 2021, though rollout has been slow since then.
Currently, digital ID cards in Apple Wallet are only available in four US states:
- Arizona
- Colorado
- Georgia
- Maryland
Over 20 US states are planning to adopt digital drivers licenses, though this doesn’t necessarily imply Apple Wallet support; California, for example, started trialling digital IDs last year via a standalone app.
Japan’s Individual Number Card
Apple has announced that Japan’s Individual Number Card will be supported from next year.
Apple is working with the Japanese Digital Agency to prepare everyone living in Japan to use the My Number Card in Apple Wallet from the second half of next spring. Japan is the first to deploy the Apple Wallet identity card function outside the United States. With this function, everyone living in Japan can seamlessly add an Individual Number Card to the Apple Wallet on iPhone.
The card is the only form of ID required in Japan, and can be used for everything from accessing government services and healthcare to obtaining copies of other government records through convenience stores. The card can also be used to access online services.
Apple said that rolling out digital ID cards beyond the US was an important step toward the company’s long-term vision.
“The deployment of Apple Wallet’s ID feature outside the United States is an important step in our vision of replacing traditional physical wallets with easy, secure, and private mobile wallets. We will make the My Number Card available in Apple Wallet from the second half of next spring, and we will present your ID while making full use of the security and privacy protection features built into the iPhone. We are very pleased to provide a convenient and convenient way for everyone living in Japan,” said Jennifer Bailey, vice president of Apple Pay and Apple Wallet.
9to5Mac collage of images from Japan’s Digital Agency and Alexander Grey on Unsplash
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