Does Southwest require passport for domestic travel?
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Aug 2014
Posts: 61
Does Southwest require passport for domestic travel?
I'm about to book a domestic flight on Southwest and remembered my passport is expired. Is a passport required for domestic travel? Or can I use my driver's license?
#2
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You can use your driver's license, as most people do. Passport is never required to move among the 50 states or US possessions. It's for entering other countries only.
#4
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Here is a list of the forms of ID accepted by TSA. Even if you don't have any of those, there may still be a way through the checkpoint. Unless you are checking luggage, you may never need to show any ID to WN or any carrier for a domestic flight.
http://www.tsa.gov/travel/security-s...identification
http://www.tsa.gov/travel/security-s...identification
#5
Join Date: Aug 2009
Posts: 1,080
Here is a list of the forms of ID accepted by TSA. Even if you don't have any of those, there may still be a way through the checkpoint. Unless you are checking luggage, you may never need to show any ID to WN or any carrier for a domestic flight.
http://www.tsa.gov/travel/security-s...identification
http://www.tsa.gov/travel/security-s...identification
Besides, the OP said he HAS a DL. So, there is no issue.
#6
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If OP is flying to/from New Mexico, a passport is needed just in case an airline agent doesn't know than NM is one of the fifty states. District of Columbia is similarly risky, because some people think it's a region of South America.
#7
Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: SFO/CDG
Posts: 320
In all seriousness OP, you'll be fine with a drivers license. But...
Ha, it would be even funnier if you were just joking. I'd also add that if you are from Hawaii, you may need a passport since TSA may decide not recognize it as a state.
For reference:
D.C. resident: TSA agent questioned if license from nations capital was valid for flight | Washington Post
Reporter Baffled After TSA Agent Rejects His District Of Columbia ID, Demands To See Passport | Huffington Post
TSA Agent Tries to Not Recognize NM Driver'se License as ID | FlyerTalk
Hawaii is not a state according to the TSA agent | FlyerTalk
For reference:
D.C. resident: TSA agent questioned if license from nations capital was valid for flight | Washington Post
Reporter Baffled After TSA Agent Rejects His District Of Columbia ID, Demands To See Passport | Huffington Post
TSA Agent Tries to Not Recognize NM Driver'se License as ID | FlyerTalk
Hawaii is not a state according to the TSA agent | FlyerTalk
#8
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And this is not specific to Southwest! It applies to every airline. If flying any airline totally within the US and/or its territories (for example, Puerto Rico), you do not require a passport.
Whether you require a passport has to do with whether you're leaving or entering the country. It has nothing to do with what airline you're flying.
Whether you require a passport has to do with whether you're leaving or entering the country. It has nothing to do with what airline you're flying.
#9
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Here is a list of the forms of ID accepted by TSA. Even if you don't have any of those, there may still be a way through the checkpoint. Unless you are checking luggage, you may never need to show any ID to WN or any carrier for a domestic flight.
http://www.tsa.gov/travel/security-s...identification
http://www.tsa.gov/travel/security-s...identification
So, your expired passport - which is still a U.S. passport by any definition - is probably still fine for this purpose.
#10
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As I believe is noted above, you may be permitted to travel without any acceptable ID do long as a TSA Officer can otherwise verify your identity. This may sometimes be done with multiple expired documents, school ID's, and other information which can be verified in various commercial and government databases.
This is all, however, ill-advised and most useful in an emergency where one has lost one's ID.
If OP's question is reasonably interpreted as asking whether he requires a valid passport for domestic travel, the answer is no. If he wants to know what will work, a valid DL is the simple answer.
This is all, however, ill-advised and most useful in an emergency where one has lost one's ID.
If OP's question is reasonably interpreted as asking whether he requires a valid passport for domestic travel, the answer is no. If he wants to know what will work, a valid DL is the simple answer.
#11
Original Poster
Join Date: Aug 2014
Posts: 61
Thanks guys for the answers, I think I'll be fine with a driver's license. I'm traveling from BOS to SFO.
#15
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(My wife was once cleared in the reverse direction, at SFO heading for BOS, using her YMCA membership card. She pulled it out by mistake, as it was next to her DL, and didn't realize it until she was putting it back into her wallet. We have no idea if the agent knew what it was and figured it was good enough, or just didn't notice.)