# Flying without a photo ID? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Tags:** vacation-travel\ **Created:** [July 15, 2024, 10:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flying-without-a-photo-id/1004256 "2024-07-15T10:00:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2024, 10:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flying-without-a-photo-id/1004256/1 "2024-07-15T10:00:05Z")
My daughter moved from California to Brooklyn in 2021. On July 5, she finally got around to transferring her driver’s license/realID and voter registration to NY state. As of July 13, her new ID had not arrived in yet. On Tuesday afternoon, she’s scheduled to board a flight to visit me in Portland (Oregon) . If she still hasn’t received her photo ID by then, is there a workaround that will let her get through TSA? ETA: she did get a temporary license _sans_ photo. ---
**Author:** ![Mighty\_Mouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mighty_mouse/32/7776_2.png) [@Mighty\_Mouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mighty_Mouse)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2024, 10:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flying-without-a-photo-id/1004256/2 "2024-07-15T10:55:05Z")
Does she have a passport? ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2024, 11:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flying-without-a-photo-id/1004256/3 "2024-07-15T11:05:18Z")
No. I did find an FAQ on the TSA website: _In the event you arrive at the airport without proper ID, because it is lost or at home, you may still be allowed to fly. By providing additional information, TSA has other ways to confirm your identity, like using publicly available databases, so you can reach your flight._ _If your identity cannot be verified, you will not be allowed to enter the screening checkpoint._ ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2024, 11:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flying-without-a-photo-id/1004256/4 "2024-07-15T11:16:37Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > you may still be allowed to fly. When my airline reservation was made by an employee who spelled my middle name “Steven”, while it is “Stephen” on my ID I made the mistake of scoffing/chuckling when the TSA dude pointed it out. I guess that pissed him off. I was kept there for additional screening. At one point he glared at me and said I might not be flying that day. I eventually just barely boarded. ---
**Author:** ![Ellecram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellecram/32/18948_2.png) [@Ellecram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellecram)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2024, 11:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flying-without-a-photo-id/1004256/5 "2024-07-15T11:24:13Z")
Does your daughter have any of her old licenses? Maybe call ahead to see what they will accept? Some of these workers can be a real pain. I try to remain neutral/brief when interacting with them. It’s important to make sure everything is correct on your tickets. I ran into an issue once where my passport has my middle initial but the reservation didn’t include it. A minor blip but still a bit unnerving when you are trying to catch a flight. Last year coming home from Aruba I was pulled aside for a random additional screening. I always use the wheelchair services since I have difficulty walking distances. They actually removed my crocs and sent them somewhere to be tested for explosives. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2024, 11:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flying-without-a-photo-id/1004256/6 "2024-07-15T11:29:59Z")
> [@Ellecram](#): > > They actually removed my crocs and sent them somewhere to be tested for explosives. Well….don’t leave us hanging….. ---
**Author:** ![Mighty\_Mouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mighty_mouse/32/7776_2.png) [@Mighty\_Mouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mighty_Mouse)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2024, 11:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flying-without-a-photo-id/1004256/7 "2024-07-15T11:39:03Z")
They found they were quite ordinary crocodiles and therefore prohibited wildlife. ---
**Author:** ![Ellecram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellecram/32/18948_2.png) [@Ellecram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellecram)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2024, 11:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flying-without-a-photo-id/1004256/8 "2024-07-15T11:51:25Z")
LOL I wear crocs all the time especially when flying as they are easy to slip on and off. I thought it was strange that they would take these kinds of shoes to test for explosives as they are peppered with holes. Why/how would someone put explosives in crocs? TSA guy just said it was a random screening but there I sat with my black compression stockings swinging my crocless feet off the exam table they had placed me on. I was cleared and allowed to fly home but it was a bit unnerving. I was awash in airport anxiety. I don’t imagine I would have made it that far had I been schlepping real crocodiles lol. ---
**Author:** ![pullin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c57346/32.png) [@pullin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pullin)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2024, 12:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flying-without-a-photo-id/1004256/9 "2024-07-15T12:03:00Z")
Be aware that missing or out-of-date ID can be treated differently depending on the airport, airline, and how _that_ official feels on _that_ hour of _that_ day. My handicapped sibling tried this with an out-of-date license and got from podunk to DFW where boarding the next flight was denied by airline officials at the next gate. Despite the fact they’d just arrived on a flight on the same airline. They were stuck, with no way of going forward or back, and now a “skiplagger” to top it all off. It turned into an epic clusterfuck, with aging relatives phoning in advice (“Just walk out to the plane and talk to the pilot! He can overrride everyone and let you fly!”). I had to drive for hours and collect a sobbing, overwhelmed person from the bathroom floor, get the luggage, and provide lodging and eventually ground transportation to get this all solved. If OP’s daughter has a direct flight there’s probably less risk. She’ll either get aboard or not. And if aboard, there are no other “officials” she has to get past. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2024, 12:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flying-without-a-photo-id/1004256/10 "2024-07-15T12:04:42Z")
> [@Ellecram](#): > > I thought it was strange that they would take these kinds of shoes to test for explosives as they are peppered with holes. Why/how would someone put explosives in crocs? How? Make them in a 3-D printer, using C4 as the medium (I have no idea if C4 is a viable medium, but the problem doesn’t strike me as insurmountable). Or maybe they just thought a person who’d wear Crocs in public is suspicious by default. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2024, 12:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flying-without-a-photo-id/1004256/11 "2024-07-15T12:09:52Z")
> [@pullin](#): > > If OP’s daughter has a direct flight there’s probably less risk. She’ll either get aboard or not. And if aboard, there are no other “officials” she has to get past. No such luck. Direct flights have always been her default, but they were too spendy this time. She changes planes at LAX on her way to me, and DFW for the return trip. ETA: She’s prepared to bring her first California DL, her Social Security card, her interim license, her birth certificate, and her student ID from PACE university (from which she graduated in 2022). I recommended she scan an image of her diploma to show that she’s not trying to pass herself off as a current student. ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2024, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flying-without-a-photo-id/1004256/12 "2024-07-15T13:18:47Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > How? Make them in a 3-D printer, using C4 as the medium (I have no idea if C4 is a viable medium, but the problem doesn’t strike me as insurmountable) I _much_ prefer the palm reader on the boardwalk. However, it seems the more $ I give her the better the results I get. 🤨 ---
**Author:** ![doreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/858c86/32.png) [@doreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doreen)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2024, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flying-without-a-photo-id/1004256/13 "2024-07-15T13:29:47Z")
> [@pullin](#): > > My handicapped sibling tried this with an out-of-date license and got from podunk to DFW where boarding the next flight was denied by airline officials at the next gate. I don’t understand this - when I’ve changed flights, I never had to show my ID to the airline at the gate for the second flight. Did your sibling leave the secure area and was trying to return ? I do know people who have gone outside to smoke and had to go through TSA again. ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2024, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flying-without-a-photo-id/1004256/14 "2024-07-15T13:38:40Z")
Is her CA license _expired_ or it just has the wrong address? I have flown many many times in and out of NYC with my license not having my current address, (I moved apts in 2020 and finally changed the address last month when it expired.) although it’s still always been a New York ID. I had never even thought about it. I would think as long as she brings the interim paper license with her it shouldn’t be an issue, though as others have said it depends on the agent. ---
**Author:** ![doreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/858c86/32.png) [@doreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doreen)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2024, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flying-without-a-photo-id/1004256/15 "2024-07-15T13:45:13Z")
> [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](#): > > Is her CA license _expired_ or it just has the wrong address? Probably expired- she would have had to turn in a California license to get a NY license without going through the testing process. I’ve known people to get through TSA with an expired license, so it’s worth a shot. ---
**Author:** ![smithsb](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smithsb/32/12107_2.png) [@smithsb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smithsb)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2024, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flying-without-a-photo-id/1004256/16 "2024-07-15T13:58:01Z")
She’ll get “additional screening” and probably an explosive residue check on the carryon. Bring all the additional IDs and **show up early**. She may even have to go to a different security station (for the residue check). This was my experience after my Real Id license was lost. The flimsy temp license was insufficient, my DoD CAC wasn’t good enough, nor my Costco card with grainy photo, nor my Hawaii resident golf course ID with picture. The ponderance of evidence along with humor got me onboard. ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2024, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flying-without-a-photo-id/1004256/17 "2024-07-15T14:05:19Z")
She should show up early, **very early.** She will need the extra time if TSA spends the time with additional screening. Better to sit and wait at the gate for an extended time if the additional screening proceeds smoothly, than show up “normally” and the additional screening causes her to lose the flight. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2024, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flying-without-a-photo-id/1004256/18 "2024-07-15T14:30:27Z")
My MIL misplaced her wallet, so she didn’t have any ID (the wallet ended up being in one of her bags, but we didn’t figure that out until this was all over). TSA pulled her aside, and then started calling people that could confirm her identity, including her pharmacist, who they finally believed, and let her on the plane. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2024, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flying-without-a-photo-id/1004256/19 "2024-07-15T15:32:17Z")
In addition to everything else, maybe bring the paperwork showing that the license renewal is in progress? Perhaps a printout of the screen showing that she submitted the application? ---
**Author:** ![Eonwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eonwe/32/240_2.png) [@Eonwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eonwe)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2024, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flying-without-a-photo-id/1004256/20 "2024-07-15T15:35:06Z")
In my experience, as recently as 2022: expired drivers license was adequate for both humans and computers that I have needed to provide identification for at the airport for in-country flying. However, you will not be able to get a rental car at your destination with an expired license. Who knows if this is true all the time, but I have flown twice with an expired license (unintentionally), and I only realized in the moment or after the fact. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flying-without-a-photo-id/1004256.md?page=2)