Picture ID and flying.

Factual Questions
1

Not sure which forum this goes in.

Back story:

The Cody lost his driver’s license a few months ago. Since we prety much knew we’d be moving back to TX in May, we figured that we’d wait until we moved back to get him a new one. However, we discovered that in order to get the job in TX, he has to fly down for the last interview. 2 months ago, I Emailed his mom asking for all the required papers to get a picture ID so he can fly. She hasn’t sent anything. I found his birth certificate and two transcripts from his highschool in a box. To get a picture ID in MI, he needs his BC, and two things from his school (I doubt duplicates work, tho. He needs, say, report card, transcript, yearbook, etc).

To the present:

I’ve already begun all the saving/packing/paying off bills process. He’s already told the man he’ll be down for his final interview somewhere during April 7-9. His mom is setting up all the ticket info. However, he STILL has no picture ID, and we’re running out of time.

So, a few questions:

1: Do you need a picture ID to fly, or can you use, say, birth certificate, Social sercurity card, etc?

2: Does anyone know how long it takes to get a picture ID in MI? A DL takes a few weeks to get to you in the mail, but a friend of mine told me that he got his picture ID the same day. Don’t know the truth to this story. Also, the MI Secretary of State doesn’t say anything about how long it takes to get one.

3: How long does it take/how much does it cost to get a passport, and where can you get one quickly?

Thanks.
PS: The reason we’re moving at the beginning of May is because 1: Cody’s brother is graduating from Texas A&M sometime in May, and cody wants to be there for it, and 2: I’ll be taking over a friend’s lease in a great apartment when she moves into a house at the end of April. We could delay moving, but it would be a big hassle to our friend (it’ll cost a lot for her to break the lease, while it’ll cost her nothing if we move into the apartment instead, and since she’s getting a house, she won’t be able to afford house payments and paying for the broken lease).

2

From the TSA’s website:

Proper Identification

If you have a paper ticket for a domestic flight, passengers age 18 and over must present one form of photo identification issued by a local state or federal government agency (e.g.: passport/drivers license/military ID), or two forms of non-photo identification, one of which must have been issued by a state or federal agency (e.g.: U.S. social security card). For an international flight, you will need to present a valid passport, visa, or any other required documentation. Passengers without proper ID may be denied boarding.

http://www.tsa.gov/public/interapp/editorial/editorial_1044.xml
-Lil

3

Maybe these two links will help:

Passport Services and Information: http://travel.state.gov/passport_services.html

How to Get Your Passport Within Two Weeks: http://travel.state.gov/passport_expedite.html

I got my passport last fall and paid about $85 plus $10 to Walgreen’s for the passport photos. I don’t know if rates have gone up since then. Check one of these official government links to see.

There are other organizations that guarantee 24 hour delivery. They charge a considerable fee for that and I don’t know if they are for real or not.

4

maybe a silly question, but how hard would it be to get the driver’s license replaced? even if it was expired, and you have to take a new drivers test, could it really take more than a couple days? (and the guy isn’t driving without a license, is he?)

5

His license IS valid, he just doesn’t physically have it on him. His car’s still insured and registered in TX.

It’ll take about 10 minutes in a TX DMV.

However, we currently live in MI. Since he doesn’t have a his physical TX DL, it’ll take much longer. Has to, like, take a course and test and drive on a permit for a few months before he gets that picture DL. Apparently, MI and TX don’t communicate.

When I got my MI DL, and actually had the TX DL, I still didn’t get it for something like 3-4 weeks.

Soo . . . yeah. No time to get it by April 7th.

6

You need to have your license physically with you while driving a car. Sorry about that. If he gets pulled over and doesn’t have a license he could wind up in jail, especially since, as you put it, TX and MI don’t talk to each other about these things.

Your best bet might be to call the airline itself, explain the situation regarding lost driver’s license, and ask them what would be suitable. One of my co-workers had her purse stolen while on a business trip and the airline accepted her picture ID from work along with a copy of the police report. So sometimes, if they’re told ahead of time, they’ll help you out with this.

But he really does need to have a picture ID of some sort if he’s getting on an airplane.

7

I would have him call the Texas Department of Public Safety and ask how to get a duplicate license from there. It’s possible; their licenses are issued centrally, and so they would be able to get him a duplicate with few, if any, problems.

The Michigan Photo ID website says that you can’t have both a driver’s license AND a photo ID card. If he’s driving and he’s pulled over and he produces that ID card, the cop will most likely assume that he’s not supposed to be driving at all.

Robin

8

Last October on a trip to Chicago my girlfriend lost her purse on the way to the airport to catch our flight home. When we got to the airport, we explained to the situation to a TSA official at the ticket counter. He insisted that she wouldn’t be allowed to fly without some form of ID. She then turned to the airline employee standing next to him, and asked the same question. No problem, she said, she’d just have to undergo some “extra security checks.” They printed out a boarding pass for her, and we proceded to the security checkpoint, where the “extra security” didn’t appear much different than the standard “random security checks” performed at the gates.
Anyway, we made it onto the flight, so I can say from firsthand experience that it is possible to fly without any ID, but it’s completely up to the airline.

9

Geez - is MI really that far behind the times?? In GA you get your DL or ID card immediately. I moved to NC a year ago and it was the same deal - present old GA license, pass the written test, smile for the camera, walk out with a new license 5 minutes later. And in NC you can have both a DL and an ID at the same time and get them replaced online. My GF lost her license last year and went to NC DMV’s website, clicked a few buttons and had a new license in our mailbox in three days. Are you sure TX or MI doesn’t have anything like that?