Alright, so here’s the deal. Awhile back my Georgia driver’s license somehow managed to snap in half (of course, I’ve taped it together as best I can). I also have a debit card with my picture on it. I’m going to Logan airport tomorrow. Am I going to have problems or will I be able to get through security?
As long as your picture ID, while damaged, is valid, I think you should be okay. I don’t think a debit card is going to help you much. If you had a valid passport you would be golden. Do you have an original copy of your birth certificate handy? It couldn’t hurt.
Not sure if a broken ID is valid, but there are other options:
Q. If I lose my ID during travel, what secondary forms of ID will be accepted?
A. Passengers who do not have a valid photo ID, such as State-issued driver’s license, should bring any ID or documents they have available to assist in verification of identity. Passengers need at least two alternate forms of identification, such as a social security card, birth certificate, marriage license, or credit card. The documents must bear the name of the passenger. Also, one of these documents must bear identification information containing one of the following: date of birth, gender, address, or photo. If TSA can confirm the passenger’s identity, they may enter the secured area, but they could be subject to additional screening. For more information, please review the ID Requirements for Airport Checkpoints.
FWIW, IDs with holes in them are considered expired:
Q. Can I use an ID that has a hole punched in it?
A. IDs with a hole punched through the expiration date are considered expired. Adult passengers are required to show a valid U.S. Federal or State-issued photo ID. If you do not have this type of ID, TSA can accept other forms of ID to help verify your identity. See question #2 above.
Not here, no.
You will probably make it through eventually, but leave yourself plenty of extra time. My former boss once managed to board a flight for NYC with no photo ID at all; she’d accidentally left her wallet at home.
Do you have a passport? That will work without needing accompanying documents.
I have an insurance card, credit cards with pictures, the cracked-in-half driver’s license, and really that’s it. I don’t have the passport, birth certificate, etc.
How long ago did this happen and why on Earth did you wait until the day before traveling to start looking into this?
Do you have time to get to the DMV this afternoon for some sort of replacement ID? Or to the local health department for a copy of your birth certificate? Both should be manageable in an afternoon.
I didn’t. I’d like to get a license from the state I’m in, so over the months, I’ve been continuously asking someone to send me my passport, which you need to present to the RMV in order to get a license from another state. She kept forgetting to send it to me, every time, and I didn’t follow up enough. Now, I just remembered, I still have this problem with my license.
But Jesus Christ, who cares about whatever crimes of stupidity I may have committed? I’m just trying to get a clear answer to my inquiry!
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Bring any other form of ID you have with your name on it (and especially your picture on it) with you just in case and assume it will take you 30 minutes longer with security to be safe.
I didn’t realize my driver’s license had expired a few days prior to flying once and was hassled, but not very much because I had a wallet full of credit, debit, etc. cards with my name, and a Government issued ID with photo to get me on to various military bases at the time, which was just as good.
There was also an incident two years ago where my wife was out of town at a spa weekend with her girlfriends. The spa made a point of taking her driver’s license as a deposit for their fancy robes during her visit, but forgot to give it back when she returned the robe and she didn’t think to ask for it. She only realized she didn’t have it when she had driven two hours away to the airport and was turning in her rental car. I called the spa and had them send a copy of the license via e-mail to the rental car place, and I did the same with a copy of her passport, which they printed out for her. She used both of those at the airport in Oakland, CA, and they let her on the plane, so you should be fine.
I think that asking such questions is going to be important for practicing the answers you are going to be getting at the airport- in both directions!
The law in many places says that you may already be in breach and your current story about not having a current/legitimate license is not exactly strengthening your case in order to be allowed through security. So I would say in answer to your question, you should be allowed through security but I wouldn’t guarantee that you will be.
A few years ago, I managed to lose my wallet about two days before traveling, so I really had no ID, and they eventually let me on the plane. To reiterate what Eva Luna said, they’ll probably let you on, but get there early enough, stay calm when you explain the situation to them, and don’t be surprised when you have to go through extra screening.
I don’t need practice. Thanks anyway, but it’s not what I asked for…
I’m in the great Commonwealth of MA, so WA law is completely irrelevant. And as I’m of student status, I’m not in breach of anything; I don’t have to be a resident.
It is current and it may even be legit. But that’s what I’m asking, isn’t it?
As usual: Captain Amazing, clear, to the point, and helpful. Thank you.
Actually, the decision belongs to TSA and not you. Captain Amazing’s comments should guide you through security. If you argue or stand on ceremony with TSA, even if you are technically correct, TSA is within its authority to screen you further, even if it means, oops!, you missed your flight.
I’m well aware. I don’t mind getting there early and I don’t mind getting screened. I just want to get to and from my destination.
Just curious in case anyone has any insight on this… Considering their history, would I be incorrect in assuming that Logan has tougher security screening than most airports?
It’s more stringent than it was ten years ago, but it’s still fairly lax. I lost a knife that BWI security found on my way home, that Logan had simply let through in my backpack; didn’t even realize I had it with me. Most of the people I know who fly through Logan have similar stories of other airports finding violating stuff that Logan missed, usually resulting in delays getting home or tools getting thrown out.