Apple Certificates — Optional

The default: zero setup

Every Apple Wallet pass must be cryptographically signed with an Apple-issued certificate. Most pass platforms make you get one — which means enrolling in the Apple Developer Program ($99/year), creating a Pass Type ID, generating and renewing certificates, and uploading key files.

Pass Studio doesn't. By default your passes are signed under Pass Studio's own certificate — you design, you publish, and the pass installs on iPhones immediately. No Apple account, no certificate files, no renewals, nothing to configure. Google Wallet works the same way: no Google Wallet API onboarding required.

The option: bring your own

If you want the pass fully under your own identity — your organization name as the signing entity, your own Pass Type ID — you can connect your own Apple certificate and Pass Studio signs your passes with it. This is the full white-label setup, typically chosen by agencies and larger brands.

• Default — platform-signed: zero setup, live in minutes, no Apple fees.
• Bring your own — white-label: your Apple Developer account ($99/year to Apple), your Pass Type ID, your name on the signature.

You can start platform-signed today and move to your own certificate later — the choice isn't permanent.

Which should you pick?

Start with the default. It's the fastest path to a pass on a phone, and for most merchants the signing entity is invisible — customers see your brand on the pass itself: your logo, your colors, your name on the front. Bring your own certificate when a brand, agency, or compliance requirement explicitly asks for it. Set it up in Settings, or write to us and we'll walk you through it.