How to store your ID and passport on iPhone with a password
Your iPhone has three built-in ways to lock a document photo: the Hidden album in Photos, a locked note in Notes, and an app protected with Require Face ID. They keep your ID, driver’s license and passport away from someone holding your unlocked phone, but none was designed to organize documents. For that, choose an app that encrypts them and has its own lock.
Pick a lock for the copy you have
| Where your document is now | Built-in option | Main limit |
|---|---|---|
| A picture in Photos | Hide it in the locked Hidden album. | The album also accepts the iPhone passcode. |
| A paper document you can scan | Scan it inside Notes and lock the note. | An imported PDF attachment cannot go in a locked note. |
| A PDF in Files | Require Face ID for the Files app. | The lock covers the app on this iPhone, not an individual file. |
The steps and limits for each option follow. If you need a separate password rather than the iPhone passcode, start with locked Notes.
A locked photo or scan is different from an official credential in Apple Wallet. Support depends on the document and region. Read Can you add a passport or ID to Apple Wallet? for that distinction.
Option 1: the Hidden album in Photos
- Open the document photo in Photos.
- Tap More, the three-dot button, then Hide.
- To see it again, open Collections, scroll to Utilities and tap Hidden. Authenticate to open the album.
If it opens without authentication, enable the lock in Settings > Apps > Photos > Use Face ID. Depending on your iPhone, the option may name Touch ID or your passcode. The album has been locked by default since iOS 16.
What it protects. The photo disappears from the library, other albums and the Photos widget. Someone looking through your holiday photos will not stumble across your passport.
Its limits. The album also accepts the iPhone passcode, so someone who knows it can open the album. With iCloud Photos enabled, the photo remains in your library and is hidden across your devices, alongside everything else you have hidden.
Option 2: a locked note in Notes
- Open Notes and create a note called, for example, “Documents”.
- Tap the attachment button, choose Scan Documents, and scan the front and back of your ID.
- Tap More, then Lock. The first time, choose whether to use your iPhone passcode or a separate notes password. Tap the lock icon to hide the contents when you are finished.
A note containing a scanned document can be locked. A note with a PDF attachment cannot: importing a license PDF into a note does not make it a locked document.
What it protects. Locked notes are encrypted. With a separate password, knowing the iPhone passcode alone does not give someone access.
Its limits. If you forget that password, Apple cannot recover the old notes. Your documents are loose pages in a note, with no document type or expiry date, and Notes does not remind you when a passport expires.
Option 3: lock the whole app with Face ID
Since iOS 18, many apps can require authentication to open. This also works for Files, where PDFs often end up and which has no separate lock for an individual document.
- Touch and hold the app icon on the Home Screen.
- Tap Require Face ID and confirm. On other models, the option names Touch ID or your passcode.
Downloaded apps can also disappear from the Home Screen with Hide and Require Face ID. They move to the Hidden folder at the bottom of App Library. Built-in apps cannot be hidden, and some, including Camera and Settings, cannot be locked.
What it protects. Someone holding your unlocked phone must authenticate before opening the app.
Its limits. The lock covers the whole app rather than a particular document, and applies only to this iPhone. It does not follow the documents to an iPad or Mac. The iPhone passcode can also unlock the app, depending on your security settings.
What about a password-protected folder?
iPhone has no built-in password lock for a Home Screen folder or a folder in Files. The three options above serve that purpose: Hidden for photos, a locked note for scans, and Require Face ID for Files.
What none of the three does
They hide documents without organizing them. An ID remains a photo among others, with its front separate from its back and no name or expiry date. When you send a copy, it has no mark saying who it was intended for, and the phone does not track the document’s validity. See How to store your documents safely for the full checklist.
An ID in Apple Wallet is a different thing
Apple Wallet can hold an official ID, which none of the three locks can. In participating states, your driver’s license or state ID goes into Wallet once the state approves it, and a Digital ID can be created from an unexpired US passport on an iPhone 11 or later. You present either one at TSA checkpoints for domestic flights or at select businesses, and Apple blocks screenshots of a Wallet license’s information screen. See which states and IDs qualify.
It does not take over the photo or scan you keep. Apple says the Digital ID is not a passport and cannot be used for international travel, TSA asks travelers to carry a physical ID anyway, and an application that wants a copy of your license still wants an image. That copy, and the passport page you check abroad, is what still needs the Hidden album, a locked note, Require Face ID or a wallet of its own.
Where Dokus fits
Dokus is a document wallet for iPhone, iPad and Mac. Each document is encrypted on your device, with its name, type, front and back together. The wallet opens with Face ID or Touch ID. There is no Dokus account, and Dokus never receives your documents. Sync through your own iCloud is optional, everything opens offline, and document screenshots come out blank.
Scan a document in the app or import its photo from Photos. Shared copies can carry a watermark with the recipient’s name and the date, and Dokus Plus provides expiry reminders. After moving your documents, delete the loose copies from your photo library and Recently Deleted too.
Lost the original rather than its photo? See how to replace a lost ID, Social Security card or passport in the US. A stored copy can help you check your details, but the replacement comes from the issuing agency.
Frequently asked questions
Can I create a password-protected folder on iPhone?
There is no built-in password lock for folders on the Home Screen or in Files. You can use the Hidden album in Photos, locked notes, or Require Face ID to lock an entire app. A document wallet with encryption and its own lock provides a place for the documents themselves.
How do I lock photos on iPhone?
Open the photo, tap More and choose Hide. Find it in Hidden under Collections. Enable Use Face ID in Settings > Apps > Photos if the album is not locked. You can also touch and hold the Photos icon and choose Require Face ID to lock the whole app.
Is the Hidden album safe for documents?
It keeps document photos out of ordinary browsing, but also accepts your iPhone passcode, stays in iCloud Photos if sync is enabled, and mixes documents with other hidden photos. It is useful for hiding a copy. A dedicated document wallet adds organization and its own protection.
Where should I keep a passport copy on iPhone for travel?
Keep a copy of the identity page in a locked place that opens offline, so you can check its number and details while travelling. Carry the passport book itself: Apple says even its Digital ID, created from a US passport, cannot be used for international travel.
If I lose my iPhone, do I lose my documents?
It depends on where you keep them. Photos and notes synced through iCloud return when you sign in to the same Apple Account on another iPhone. The same applies to Dokus with iCloud sync enabled. Locking an app with Face ID protects access but does not create a backup.