Digital ID

The same credential, in their wallet

A digital ID is not a photograph of a card. It is the same credential in another form, one serial number, one verification code, issued and revoked alongside the plastic, added to Apple Wallet or Google Wallet in a couple of taps. Anyone can check it on the spot, by scanning its QR code or by tapping the link on the pass.

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Verification

Checked by scanning a QR code, or tapping a link

A digital ID is only worth carrying if somebody can check it. Every pass can be verified on the spot, two ways, and the person checking needs no app and no account.

  • Scan the QR code. The pass can show a QR code. Any phone camera that scans it opens the verification page for that card.
  • Tap the link on the pass. Every pass carries a “Verify this card” link. It opens the same page on the holder's own phone, and the page can show a QR code for somebody else to scan.

Either way the answer is the live one: the photograph on record, the name, and whether the card is valid right now. A card that has expired, or been reported lost, stolen or revoked, says so, and the printed card gives exactly the same answer.

The verification page on a phone: Harbour Institute, the cardholder's photograph, a tick and the words This card is valid, then the name, serial number, issue and expiry dates.
The same page for a card reported lost: the photograph is greyed out, with a cross and the words This card was reported lost.

The verification page, for a valid card and for one reported lost. Fictional institution; the portraits are stock photographs of models.

One credential, two forms

When somebody is issued a digital ID, it carries the same serial number and the same verification code as their printed card. Scanning either one gives the same answer, because there is only one credential underneath.

  • Apple Wallet and Google Wallet from a single issuance.
  • Digital-only or alongside plastic: issue both, or skip the card entirely.
  • Emailed delivery, so a cardholder with no portal login can still add their ID.
  • Designed separately from the printed card, because a phone screen is not a piece of PVC.

Still true tomorrow

The advantage of a digital credential is not convenience, it is control. A printed card cannot be recalled once it is in a pocket. A pass can be updated or struck through remotely, within seconds.

  • Over-the-air updates when a name, photograph or expiry changes.
  • Remote revocation: the pass is marked cancelled on the device.
  • Revoke independently, so a digital ID can be withdrawn while the printed card keeps working.
  • Audit trail of who issued or revoked, and when.
Examples

What lands on the phone

Not a picture of a card. A native pass on each platform, built from the fields each one defines, carrying the same serial number and verification code as the printed card.

Apple Wallet Header, primary, secondary and auxiliary fields, with the terms and the verification link on the back of the pass. Updates arrive over the air; a revoked pass is struck through on the device.
Google Wallet The same credential in Google's row layout. Patching the object propagates on its own, so a change reaches the phone without the cardholder doing anything.

Illustrative designs. The institution and cardholder shown are fictional, and the QR codes are decorative rather than scannable. Your own pass layout, labels and colours are set in the designer.

Why institutions ask for it

The card people never forget

Students forget their card. They do not forget their phone. A digital ID cuts replacement volume, shortens the queue at the card office in week one, and gives a new enrolment something usable on day one, before their printed card has been produced.

Day-one issuance

A new starter can hold a working ID before any plastic exists, which matters most in the first week of the year.

Fewer replacements

A forgotten card is a replacement request. A phone in a pocket is not.

Immediate withdrawal

When somebody leaves, access ends when you say so, not when they hand something back.

Common questions

Frequently asked

How is a digital ID checked?

By scanning the QR code on the pass, or by tapping the Verify this card link the pass carries. Both open a public verification page showing the photograph on record, the name and whether the card is valid right now, with no app and no account needed. A card that has expired, or been reported lost, stolen or revoked, says so.

Does this work on both iPhone and Android?

Yes. The same issuance produces an Apple Wallet pass and a Google Wallet pass, so cardholders use whichever phone they carry.

Does the digital ID replace the printed card?

Only if you want it to. Most institutions issue both, because doors, libraries and printers often still read a physical card. The platform supports digital-only, plastic-only, or both on the same credential.

What happens when a student leaves?

Revoke the digital ID and the pass is struck through on their device. You can revoke the digital form on its own, leaving the printed card working, or revoke the whole credential at once.

How does someone verify a digital ID?

The pass carries the same QR code as the printed card, resolving to a public verification page that states whether the credential is valid and, if not, why.

Do cardholders need an account to add their ID?

No. The link is emailed to them and opens directly, so somebody who has never signed in to the portal can still add their ID to their wallet.

See it against your own process

Tell us how you issue cards today and we will show you what this looks like for your institution. No obligation, and no sales script.

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