Whether you misplaced your id or you forget that your license lifespan is expired, there are so many reasons you may want to fly with your expired license or ID on a domestic flight.
And here are the rules in a short answer.
For domestic flights the TSA stated that you can travel with an expired driver license, ID, or passport, but the expiry date needs to be less than 12 months, they may ask you for additional information at the security checkpoint to confirm your ID.
Read ahead to understand more about traveling with expired documents, and what to do if you show up to the airport with an expired driver license, passport or state-issued ID.
Let’s dive right in.
Can You Fly With An Expired License On Domestic Flights?
What the TSA Rules About Expired License?
In domestic flights the TSA and most airport security in the US need to verify your identity before you board the airplane, so if your Id or driver license expired, you can still confirm your ID with it, and you will board the airplane without any issue.
Ensure that the information on your ticket is identical with what in your driver license, because the security officers may ask you to provide some other info like:
- Full Name
- Date and place of birth
- Phone number
- A personal photo
- Address
- Social Security Number
I checked social media to find some other answers from the TSA.
This passenger asked the TSA customer service if a 9 month expired driver license is a valid form of ID.
The TSA gave her the green light that if a government-issued ID has expired for less than one year, including driver license are still valid identification at the checkpoint for domestic travel within the U.S.
Even an expired passport is a valid form of identification.
Here Jess lost her license somewhere and wondered if she could fly with an expired passport.
The same response from the TSA customer service:
” passports that have expired for less than one year are still valid identification at the checkpoint for domestic travel within the U.S.“
Also even a voided ID is acceptable at the security checkpoint if the personal information is clear and visible.
But the TSA officer may ask for more information to complete an identity verification process.
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Alternatives Of ID And License That Are Acceptable
If you forget your id you lost it, there are over 15 forms of identification that you can use on a domestic flight.
| U.S. passport | – |
| Permanent resident card | – |
| U.S. passport card | An optional identity and trace card issued by the the U.S. federal government in the size of a credit card |
| DHS trusted traveler cards (Global Entry, NEXUS, SENTRI, FAST) | Travel program provides members speed up the security checkpoint process |
| U.S. Department of Defense ID, including IDs issued to dependents | Military identification cards that service members get to permit them access to military services and programs |
| Border crossing card | Border Crossing Cards are only issued for Mexican residents |
| State-issued Enhanced Driver’s License | State-issued enhanced driver’s licenses (EDLs) provide proof of identity and U.S. citizenship. |
| HSPD-12 PIV card | Homeland Security Presidential Directive 12 (HSPD-12) calls for a mandatory, government-wide standard for secure and reliable forms of identification issued by the federal government to its employees and to the employees of federal contractors |
| Foreign government-issued passport | A Passport issued with another country or international organization |
| Canadian provincial driver’s license | – |
| Indian and Northern Affairs Canada card | – |
| An acceptable photo ID issued by a federally recognized, Tribal Nation/Indian Tribe | – |
| Transportation worker identification credential | |
| U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Employment Authorization Card (I-766) | – |
| Veteran Health Identification Card (VHIC) | An identification card issued by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs for veterans to receive medical care at VA Medical Facilities. |
| U.S. Merchant Mariner Credential | A credential issued by the United States Coast Guard in accordance with the STCW guidelines to the United States Seafarers to show evidence of a mariner’s qualifications. |
Children under the age of 18 do not need any sort of verification ID when flying on domestic flights, but they must be accompanied by an adult.
Similar rules apply for any domestic airline you are flying with.
But having some type of identification like a birth certificate will help you at the security checkpoint, if the security agent or the airline want to verify the age of your child.
On international flights children of any age will need a valid passport to fly to another country.
Can You Fly With a copy of Your ID?
I don’t think the TSA will accept a copy of your id when traveling domestically, so you will still need to provide an additional document or information to identify your identity and board the airplane.
Can You Fly With An Expired License On International Flights?
Nope.
If you are traveling internationally you can’t fly with an expired license.
You can’t even present a valid id or driver license, only valid passports are accepted on international flights and to cross other countries borders, and for certain countries you also may need to stamp a visa on your passport.
What if Your ID Was Lost or Stolen?
If your state-issued ID or driver license is lost, stolen, damaged or destroyed and you don’t have any other sort of ID, it is better to apply for an ID reprint before you fly, because you may need it for other purposes at your destination.
Even though you can still fly without any ID domestically, you will need to bring some documents if you don’t have any of the identification in the table above.
- A birth certificate
- Voter registration
- Expired id or license
- A business card with photo
- A copy of your ID
- Your full address
- A Utility bill
Final Thoughts
To sum up you can fly on domestic flights within the US with an expired ID, driver license and even a passport.
It doesn’t matter whether you are flying with American Airlines, United airlines, Delta, JetBlue, Spirit Airlines etc.. if your stated-issued ID or driver license has expired for less than one year it can still be used as a valid form of identification at the security checkpoint.
The only thing that you need to remember is that the security officer will ask you for other information like date of birth and address.
So ensure that you arrive at the airport early to confirm your ID before your flight departure.
We hope this helps
Happy travels
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