Acceptable Identification for Domestic Travel [Consolidated Thread]
Apr 25, 2018, 9:30 am
#183
Join Date: May 2013
Location: New York
Programs: UA Silver, Marriott LTPP, Hertz Five Star
Posts: 1,079
If you are willing to part with your passport book for a few weeks, you can submit a renew by mail DS-82 to get a NEW passport card for $30. You don't have to renew your passport book at the same time.
At $3/year, I consider the passport card a bargain. The passport book is far too delicate to carry around everywhere. You don't want to be traveling and get denied entry somewhere because of passport damage. Even a minor bend or fraying is questionable.
Even holding a GE card, I also obtained a passport card. It never hurts to carry two ID's and a lot of people don't recognize the GE card.
At $3/year, I consider the passport card a bargain. The passport book is far too delicate to carry around everywhere. You don't want to be traveling and get denied entry somewhere because of passport damage. Even a minor bend or fraying is questionable.
Even holding a GE card, I also obtained a passport card. It never hurts to carry two ID's and a lot of people don't recognize the GE card.
May 7, 2018, 1:19 am
#184
Join Date: May 2018
Posts: 1
Does Real ID apply to foreigners traveling domestically
Does Real ID apply to foreigners traveling domestically as well or is this only for americans? I am from spain and i am currently in las vegas. I have my spanish passport but im not sure if tsa will accept it for my next flight. I have seen “foreign government passport” as one of the alternatives on tsa website but i am unsure if they will accept it.
May 7, 2018, 4:07 am
#185
Join Date: Dec 2010
Posts: 962
Does Real ID apply to foreigners traveling domestically as well or is this only for americans? I am from spain and i am currently in las vegas. I have my spanish passport but im not sure if tsa will accept it for my next flight. I have seen “foreign government passport” as one of the alternatives on tsa website but i am unsure if they will accept it.
tl;dr: Your Spanish passport is fine. TSA is absolutely prohibited from refusing to accept it (unless it's forged or something).
RealID threats only apply to people attempting to travel on a US state ID (typically a driver's license).
Anyone – including US citizens of non-RealID states, and non-US-citizens — can travel on a passport (assuming the country you're entering gives you a visa, or you're a citizen/national of that country). RealID does not affect that at all.
May 7, 2018, 9:31 am
#186
Moderator: Travel Safety/Security, Travel Tools, California, Los Angeles; FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: LAX
Programs: oneword Emerald
Posts: 20,634
Does Real ID apply to foreigners traveling domestically as well or is this only for americans? I am from spain and i am currently in las vegas. I have my spanish passport but im not sure if tsa will accept it for my next flight. I have seen “foreign government passport” as one of the alternatives on tsa website but i am unsure if they will accept it.
I moved your question to the relevant thread.
From the TSA website:
Identification
Yes, they will accept it.
- Driver's licenses or other state photo identity cards issued by Department of Motor Vehicles (or equivalent)
- U.S. passport
- U.S. passport card
- DHS trusted traveler cards (Global Entry, NEXUS, SENTRI, FAST)
- U.S. Department of Defense ID, including IDs issued to dependents
- Permanent resident card
- Border crossing card
- DHS-designated enhanced driver's license
- Federally recognized, tribal-issued photo ID
- HSPD-12 PIV card
- Foreign government-issued passport
- Canadian provincial driver's license or Indian and Northern Affairs Canada card
- Transportation worker identification credential
- U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Employment Authorization Card (I-766)
- U.S. Merchant Mariner Credential
Dec 19, 2021, 9:22 am
#187
Join Date: Aug 2009
Posts: 89
I have a TWIC card which is a TSA-issued ID. It's officially a valid thing to show at the TSA screening lines. However, the screeners at CLT say their scanners (at least a while back) couldn't deal with it and would I please use something else. They were nice so I had no problem. One time at DCA I showed them my TWIC card and they didn't even attempt to do anything with it. The TDC told me it wasn't an acceptable ID. I gave him my license and went on. I wrote the TSA on their site and asked what gives.
The official answer from the main office was that they probably should have taken it, but the TDC always has the authority to ask for an additional ID.
A few days later we actually got a phone call from the station chief at DCA. He said that the agent was completely wrong about not taking the TWIC and had been re-educated as to what are valid IDs. That was way more than I expected.
I detest showing my driver's license to people. I'll use just about any other ID (passport, passport card, GE card). The drivers license number and name are now the DE FACTO identity of online financial transactions (try opening an online account without the number). This is a way bigger identity theft hole than SSNs ever were.
The official answer from the main office was that they probably should have taken it, but the TDC always has the authority to ask for an additional ID.
A few days later we actually got a phone call from the station chief at DCA. He said that the agent was completely wrong about not taking the TWIC and had been re-educated as to what are valid IDs. That was way more than I expected.
I detest showing my driver's license to people. I'll use just about any other ID (passport, passport card, GE card). The drivers license number and name are now the DE FACTO identity of online financial transactions (try opening an online account without the number). This is a way bigger identity theft hole than SSNs ever were.