(KTAL/KMSS) – Louisiana residents who use the LA Wallet App will be happy to learn they can travel through 27 U.S. airports using digital identification during TSA checks.
The Louisiana Department of Motor Vehicles announced on May 23 that the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) will accept mobile driver's licenses and identification cards in the app at Louis Armstrong International Airport in New Orleans and 26 other airports nationwide.
One catch - REAL ID-compliant credentials are required to utilize LA Wallet on TSA equipment.
"Residents with LA Wallet now have the option to present their mobile driver’s license or ID card at select TSA checkpoints by tapping their phone or scanning the QR code in the app. The TSA reader at the security checkpoint will take the traveler’s photo. Once the Credential Authentication Technology Reader (CAT-2) confirms the identity match, a TSA officer will verify the match and the passenger will proceed to security screening. The traveler’s photo and personal information is deleted after each transaction. That information will not be shared with other entities and will not be used for law enforcement purposes or surveillance," according to the release.
Although the LA Wallet is accepted at TSA checkpoints, passengers will still need to have their physical IDs on hand if the digital ID can not be verified at the checkpoint.
Louisiana joins Arizona, California, Colorado, Georgia, Iowa, Maryland, and Utah as states that offer digital IDs with TSA CAT-2 information systems.
Louisiana OMV urges residents to consider getting REAL-ID credentials ahead of the May 7, 2025 deadline.
Louisiana residents may download the LA Wallet App from the Apple App Store or Google Play or visit lawallet.com for more information. For more information about acceptable forms of digital identity at TSA checkpoints, visit tsa.gov/digital-id.
