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Creating a .p12 Apple Certificate for Apple Wallet

This guide walks you through creating the .p12 certificate file required for Apple Wallet pass generation. You’ll need a Mac computer and an Apple Developer account to complete these steps.

Requirements

Before you begin, make sure you have:

  • A Mac computer with Keychain Access
  • An Apple Developer account ($99/year)
  • Access to the Apple Developer Portal

Step 1: Create a Certificate Signing Request (CSR)

First, you need to generate a Certificate Signing Request on your Mac. This creates a private key that will be paired with your certificate.

  1. Open Keychain Access on your Mac (located in Applications → Utilities)
  2. In the menu bar, select Keychain Access → Certificate Assistant → Request a Certificate From a Certificate Authority
  3. Enter your email address and a common name (e.g., your name or company name)
  4. Select Saved to disk
  5. Check Let me specify key pair information
  6. Click Continue
  7. Set Key Size to 2048 bits
  8. Set Algorithm to RSA
  9. Click Continue and save the .certSigningRequest file to your disk

Important: Keep this file safe. You’ll upload it to the Apple Developer Portal in the next step.

Step 2: Generate the Certificate in Apple Developer Portal

Now you’ll create the actual certificate using your CSR file.

  1. Log in to the Apple Developer Portal at developer.apple.com
  2. Navigate to Certificates, Identifiers & Profiles
  3. Click the + button next to Certificates
  4. Under Services, select Pass Type ID Certificate
  5. Click Continue
  6. Select your Pass Type ID (or create one if you haven’t already)
  7. Click Continue
  8. Click Choose File and upload the .certSigningRequest file you generated in Step 1
  9. Click Continue
  10. Click Download to download the resulting .cer file

Step 3: Create the .p12 File

The final step combines your certificate with the private key to create the .p12 file that Voxel Events uses.

  1. Double-click the downloaded .cer file to install it into your Keychain
  2. Open Keychain Access
  3. Select the login keychain in the left sidebar
  4. Select the My Certificates category
  5. Find the certificate you just added (it should show a disclosure triangle indicating a private key is attached)
  6. Right-click (or Control-click) the certificate
  7. Choose Export
  8. Select Personal Information Exchange (.p12) as the file format
  9. Choose a location to save the file
  10. Enter a password to protect the .p12 file (you’ll need this password when configuring Voxel Events)
  11. Click OK

Step 4: Upload to Voxel Events

Now you can configure Voxel Events to use your certificate.

  1. Go to Event Tickets → Settings in your WordPress dashboard
  2. Navigate to the Apple Wallet section
  3. Upload your .p12 certificate file
  4. Enter the password you set when exporting the .p12 file
  5. Enter your Pass Type ID (e.g., pass.com.yourcompany.tickets)
  6. Enter your Team ID (found in your Apple Developer account under Membership)
  7. Click Save

Important Notes

Keep Your Private Key

If you don’t see the option to export as .p12, it means the certificate doesn’t have a private key attached. This happens when:

  • The CSR was not created on the same Mac
  • The private key was deleted from Keychain
  • You’re looking in the wrong keychain or category

If this happens, you’ll need to create a new CSR and generate a new certificate.

Certificate Expiration

Apple certificates typically expire after one year. When your certificate expires:

  • Existing passes on users’ devices will continue to work
  • New passes cannot be generated until you renew
  • You’ll need to repeat this entire process to generate a new .p12 file

Set a calendar reminder to renew your certificate before it expires.

Security Best Practices

  • Use a strong password for your .p12 file
  • Store the .p12 file securely and don’t share it
  • Keep a backup of both the .p12 file and its password in a secure location
  • Never commit certificates to version control

Troubleshooting

Can’t export as .p12

Make sure:

  • You’re in the My Certificates category (not just Certificates)
  • The certificate shows a disclosure triangle with a private key inside
  • You created the CSR on the same Mac

Pass generation fails

Verify:

  • The .p12 password is correct
  • Your Pass Type ID matches exactly (including the “pass.” prefix)
  • Your Team ID is correct
  • The certificate hasn’t expired

Certificate not showing in Keychain

Try:

  • Check both the login and System keychains
  • Search for “Pass Type” in the Keychain Access search bar
  • Double-click the .cer file again to reinstall it
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