NEW ORLEANS –The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is now accepting Louisiana-issued mobile driver licenses (mDLs) at checkpoints with digital ID readers nationwide.
Travelers who have downloaded the LA Wallet app to their smart phone can use that for identity verification during the screening process in lieu of handing over a physical photo ID and boarding pass to the TSA security officer at the entry to the checkpoint.
The State of Louisiana has made the mDL available to state residents at no cost. First make sure that your Louisiana license is REAL ID compliant. Then just download the LA Wallet app from the Apple App Store or Google Play and follow the steps to add it to your smartphone.
“We are pleased to introduce this cutting-edge digital ID at our checkpoint. Those travelers who are early adopters of new technologies or are intrigued with this capability will find the mDL to be a convenient option when going through the security process,” said Arden Hudson, TSA’s Federal Security Director for the State of Louisiana. “The TSA continues to embrace technology and we are happy to partner with the State of Louisiana and the leadership at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport.”
Louisianans can use their mobile ID for identity verification at the checkpoint in New Orleans and 26 other cities. This is where TSA has the latest generation of Credential Authentication Technology referred to as CAT-2 in use. The CAT-2 units are equipped with mDL readers and a camera that captures a real-time photo of the traveler. Through a secure internet connection to TSA’s Secure Flight system, the units are also able to verify that an individual is ticketed for air travel that day, so the traveler does not need to show a boarding pass to the TSA officer.
CAT-2 compares the traveler’s photo on the state-issued ID against the in-person, real-time photo. Once the officer confirms a match, the traveler can proceed to security screening. TSA officers can perform additional passenger verification if needed. For travelers who do not have an mDL, their physical credential can be scanned by the CAT-2 unit for identity verification.
Photos viewed on a CAT-2 unit are never stored or used for any purpose other than immediate identity verification. Travelers who do not wish to participate in the facial matching process can opt out in favor of an alternative identity verification process. And the passenger can, of course, continue to use other acceptable forms of identification.
MSY is one of 27 airports with CAT-2 units currently accepting digital IDs. Louisiana becomes the eighth state that offers digital IDs with TSA CAT-2 interoperability. The other states offering digital IDs are Arizona, California, Colorado, Georgia, Iowa, Maryland and Utah.
Any traveler from these states who has a state-issued mDL is eligible to use the CAT-2 unit’s reader in lieu of providing a physical photo ID to the TSA officer for identity verification. Travelers should continue to carry their physical driver license or photo ID.
CAT-2 plays an important role in passenger identity verification. The technology facilitates a TSA officer’s ability to authenticate a traveler’s photo ID while also flagging inconsistencies associated with fraudulent and counterfeit travel documents.
TSA continues to integrate new technologies into its identity verification process. Read more about these programs at www.tsa.gov/digital-id .
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