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Overview

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What is an Apple Pass Type Identifier?

An Apple Pass Type Identifier is required to create and update Apple Wallet passes. Each pass must be associated with a valid Pass Type Identifier and certificate for cryptographic authentication. If the Pass Type Identifier or certificate is invalid, passes cannot be added to Apple Wallet or receive updates.

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Do I need to create an Apple Pass Type Identifier?

PassEntry can issue Apple Pass Type Identifiers on behalf of clients who meet our eligibility criteria. This allows you to create and update Apple Wallet passes without managing your own Pass Type Identifier. If your use case requires you to manage your own Pass Type Identifier, follow the guide below. If you are unsure, please reach out to PassEntry via [email protected].
Apple Guide: Create Wallet identifiers and certificates

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Guide

1

Contact PassEntry to create an entity for your Pass Type Identifier

The first step will be to reach out to PassEntry to create an entity for your Pass Type Identifier.
2

Enroll in the Apple Developer Program

To create an Apple Pass Type Identifier and the corresponding certificate, you will need to enroll in the Apple Developer Program if you haven’t already.
Enrollment takes 1-2 business days to complete and costs $99 per year.
3

Create an Apple Pass Type Identifier

  1. Login to your Apple Developer Portal and Register a Pass Type ID.
  2. Enter a Description and and click “Continue”.
  3. Confirm the submitted information and click “Register” to create the Pass Type Identifier.
4

Download your Certificate Signing Request (CSR)

In order to create a certificate, you will need to download a Certificate Signing Request (CSR).
  1. Use the PassEntry API to download your CSR file.
    Download your CSR file
        curl --location \
    --request GET \
    'https://api.passentry.com/api/v1/entities/{YOUR_ENTITY_ID}/apple/certificate-signing-request' \
    --header 'Authorization: Bearer {YOUR_API_KEY}' \
    --header 'Accept: application/pkcs10' \
    --output passentry.csr
  2. Save the CSR file to your computer. Check that the file is a valid CSR file by opening it in a text editor. It should contain the following: 
    -----BEGIN CERTIFICATE REQUEST-----
...
-----END CERTIFICATE REQUEST-----
5

Create an Apple Pass Type Identifier Certificate

In order to create, distribute and update Apple Wallet passes, you will need to create a certificate, associated with your Pass Type Identifier.
  1. From your Apple Developer Portal, navigate to the Create a New Certificate page.
  2. Select “Pass Type ID Certificate” from the dropdown under “Services” and click “Continue”.
  3. Enter your Pass certificate Name(optional) and select the Pass Type Identifier you created in the previous step, then click “Continue”.
  4. You will be prompted to upload your CSR file. Upload the CSR file you downloaded in the previous step and click “Continue”.
  5. Your certificate has been created and will display information about the certificate, such as the certificate ID and the expiration date of the certificate.
At this point, it is important that you note down the expiration date of the certificate, as you will need to renew it before it expires.
  1. Download the certificate and save it to your computer, this will be saved as pass.cer
6

Upload your certificate to PassEntry

Once you have downloaded your certificate, you will need to upload it to PassEntry.
  1. Use the PassEntry API to upload your certificate file.
Upload your certificate file
    curl --location 'https://api.passentry.com/api/v1/entities/{YOUR_ENTITY_ID}/apple/certificate' \
    --header 'Authorization: Bearer {YOUR_API_KEY}' \
    --form 'certificate=@"{PATH_TO_YOUR_APPLE_CERTIFICATE}"'
  1. Your certificate has been uploaded and will display information about the certificate, such as the Pass Type Identifier** **and the expiration date of the certificate.

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Considerations

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Apple Developer Program Access

It is critical you ensure persistent access to your Apple Developer Program account. If you lose access to your account, you will not be able to create and update Apple Wallet passes.

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Certificate Expiration

Apple Pass Type Identifier certificates are valid for 1 year. Apple will notify you via email when your certificate is about to expire, and you will need to renew it by creating a new certificate.
You are responsible for renewing your certificate before it expires. If your certificate expires, you will no longer be able to create and update Apple Wallet passes.

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Certificate Renewal

To renew your certificate, you will need to create a new certificate. Follow the guide above, from the step “Create an Apple Pass Type Identifier Certificate” to create a new certificate. Then proceed to the step “Upload your certificate to PassEntry” to upload the new certificate. This will replace the certificate in PassEntry with the new certificate.

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Pass Grouping

Passes with the same Pass Type Identifier will be grouped together in the Apple Wallet. If you want to separate passes in the wallet, these will need to have a different Pass Type Identifier. In PassEntry’s architecture, each Pass Type Identifier is associated with an entity, so you will need to create a new entity for each additional Pass Type Identifier.