Lost ALL My IDs. Help!
 

While on vacation, I lost my wallet. I am wondering what the procedure will be on traveling without ANY IDs from Orlando airport. Thanks in advance.

Best way to avoid being asked for them is to check in online and/or use the EasyCheckin kiosk at the aiport. If you get bags checked and have someone tag them for you etc., you might be asked for it as well, but I've had mixed experiences.

You still have to produce your ID before going through security, though.

As I understand (at least anecdotally, from other postings on this board) you can clear TSA without any ID, but will be subject to a VERY thorough SSSS. Never tried it myself though, so don't hold me to it....

I have been told that one of the keys is to get a police report filed that says that the wallet was either lost or stolen. Then you take that with you to the airport, etc. Never tried it, but I have heard from others that it helps.

I'd try to get some kind of documentation about this, like a police report. Maybe ask your hotel to write a letter stating the problem. Something that offers some kind of official explanation. Getting the boarding pass is not really an issue. But yes, you will be subject to a complete search at security.

Ouch!

But I'm going to move to the Travel Safety/Security forum where it can get wider input, since this is not a UA-specific question.

cblaisd
Moderator, United

If there is anyone who can get into your house and get some ID that you did not carry with you (perhaps a passport?) have him Fedex it to you immediately.

Would a temporary paper id work?

Would it have a photo? If not, I understand that you need two IDs to avoid SSSS. But just take the SSSS. It's not such a big deal.

Bruce

Nope. It has to be a government issued, currently valid, picture ID.

Can you count on being allowed the SSSS treatment, or might they still completely refuse to let you travel? Many airline websites (I checked AlaskaAir as an example) say that without photo ID you will NOT be allowed to travel, and they do not indicate that there is any workaround.

I carry a duplicate drivers license in my bag..... 4 bucks at the MVD.

Use online or kiosk check-in to avoid the ticket agents who are worried about revenue protection.

As for the TSA, you technically don't need to have ID on you, but some sort of proof like a police report would probably be helpful. Just be firm, but polite, and ask to speak to supervisors if there are any problems.

Assuming the CCs and FF cards are gone too, it's going to be hard to use Mr. Chicken.

Those not-quite-security dudes, whom you encounter half way through the security line, before you hit the WTMD sub-lines... the ones who check that your BP matches your ID and that your ID matches your face (and also check for the SSSS mark)... how easy/hard is it going to be to convince them to let you through without any ID, just a BP? Should one pencil in SSSS on one's own BP preemptively?

Has anyone on FT actually (not anecdotally) done this (show up at airport with no ID, just a home-printed BP, get to security screeners, receive the SSSS treatment, and still fly) successfully [non internationally, of course]? I smell a future FT group project.

Hold on a second, why should we help you? How do we KNOW you are who you say you are? Got any ID to prove you did not hack "ehdguq"'s FT account? How do we know you are not a sleeper cell testing airport security?





Just kidding, sorry about your loss, bummer, hope you get home OK, let us know what MCO does to you. :D

I've travelled domestically several times without showing any ID to anyone. I told them I lost my ID, and they gave me the SSSS and a dump-search. That was quite a few years ago, so I don't know what the current procedure is.

One of my SO's kids lost her wallet while she was at his house. She was able to fly home with just an SSSS

Well, certain kinds of ID. Right after 9/11, I started my own little research project, and can tell you that it's more like most government issue photo IDs: I've found that the good people at SFO will absolutely wig out when presented with an out-of-state Conceled Carry of Firearms permit, and nobody seems to like the Library of Congress Reader Identification Card :D .

Both are government issued photo ID, mind you.

If the OP has his FF # memorized, I think that can be manually entered via touchscreen at Mr. Chicken.

I've done pretty well with mine. Anytime someone questions it, I just tell them to flip it over, point to "Library of Congress" and say, "issued by the federal government."

My advice? Make a fake ID at a local store.

tell them the truth. I'm sure they faced similar situations in the past and with some extra scrutiny i'm sure you'll be able to fly home. Good luck and get to the airport early with a nice and even temper (just in case)!

Very nice, I've got to try that one :) :)

If you have enough time, call up your home-state registry of motor vehicles and see if you can pay to have them fedex a new ID to your hotel. While you do not have to have an ID to fly in the US, it would certainly simplify your airport ordeal if you had an ID. Alternatively, you could ask someone back home to FedEx you your passport. Since many people don't travel domestically with them, you could have left yours at home.

So when booking last minute, or if "online check-in is unavailable," one might as well leave IDs at home? Nice way of sticking it to the man!

Well, I have firsthand recent knowledge, and the good news is, at least at LAX and PDX on UAL, you can travel pretty easily w/o an id. I forgot my purse over MLK weekend for my weekend trip to PDX (darn those early morning flights...I have such a hard time getting myself together). This meant no wallet, no form of ID whatsoever.

I had checked in online, and had my BP. Security at LAX told me to go to the "oversized baggage" line and have them reprint me a boarding pass with the SSSS on it. Did so, got a *very* light patdown and swabbing, and off I went. The whole process added about 3 minutes.

Coming back, I checked in at the kiosk, then went to the ticket desk and had them do the reprint with SSSS. Had a much more thorough pat down and full inspection of bag, but no bag dump. PDX tends to be a full shoe carnival airport anyway, so the whole thing only added about 10 minutes.

All in all, it was much better than I had anticipated, and I was still able to enjoy the weekend.

In a pinch, a Sam's Club (picture) ID has worked.
 

My sister lost or had her purse stolen while traveling (post 9/11) a few years back while traveling. She went to a local Sam's Club in the area, who of course had her photo and info on file. She had them print another card, and apparently that sufficed. Don't know if she got the SSSS, but even if she did, that's not terrible.

I always check for my wallet w/ my DL when traveling before I leave the house. I also have my passport in my regular carryon just in case.

Engulf and Devour
 

I thought the regs say you must have a "Government Issued photo ID"? And Sams Club qualifies?

This confirms what many have suspected: The US government is now only a subsidiary of the Global Monopoly that intends to take over the Earth both financially and politically: Walmart.

Two years ago, someone I was traveling with used a MTV Networks ID card, and it worked fine at both LGA and MCO.

Affadavit of Citizenship
 

I got married in Pebble Beach, CA in November of 2003. It was a destination wedding, so we had to apply for our marriage license once we got there. I did not have a passport at the time, only a driver's license and birth certificate. We were going to Mexico two days after the wedding, and I was planning on using the birth certificate to get in.

So, we got the license, got married, and I packed all of the cool weather clothing, the marriage license and my birth certificate (accidentally) and sent it home with my family. I wanted to travel light to Mexico.

Of course, we discovered this at 5 am at the Monterey, CA airport when we tried to check in. I tried everything, crying, offering cash, etc. The first person said no go. After the plane took off, once of the AA gate agents started calling around, and discovered I could get an affadavit of US Citizenship to get in and out of the country.

We drove to San Jose, CA and met a notary in the airport who asked me if I was who I claimed to be, and gave me the Affadavit of US Citizenship. I got into Mexico via SJC and DFW with no problem. My mom faxed my birth certificate and driver's license to the hotel, and I carried it with me on the way back. (Side note, Fed Ex, UPS and every other carrier we tried could not get to Cabo San Lucas within a week for any price.)

In Dallas, the custom's agent said he would not let me back in on the affadavit, but he was willing to use the photocopy of my driver's license. As we've seen many other times on FT, if you don't get the answer you want the first time, keep trying or ask someone else!

I now have a passport and two driver's licenses, so hopefully this won't happen again!

What I don't understand is why they won't let you use an EXPIRED passport or driver's license as proof of identity. Just because the document has expired doesn't mean you have.

My wife once showed up for a flight with me without her wallet -- no ID. She had to go be to the check-in desk and get some kind of special notation on her boarding pass. TSA did a secondary on her, then let her through to fly. It added about 20 minutes to the process, but was otherwise painless.

The first and most important reason is that the people doing the checking are complete idiots. I love flustering them with my INSPASS, which has no easily seen expiration date (it's embedded in some code on the back, but I claim not to know that). The ID checkers just don't know what to do. At EWR, one left her post and went walking around the airport with me looking for somebody to make the decision for her! Finally, a United supervisor told her, "Of course it's OK," and that was that.

Playing devil's advocate for a moment, you do have to wonder where they should draw the line on expired IDs. If people could present their first photo driver's license, from 30 years ago or whatever, I'm not sure they would be recognizable. But the most recent driver's license shouldn't be a problem.

Bruce

Some people are not recognizable within days of their driver's license photo; for instance, if they had a beard and shaved it off (or 2 months later, if they grow one).

If that is the criterion, then people should simply be required to maintain a license/passport photo that clearly identifies them to the satisfaction of the checker.

The AZ drivers license I had at 16 didn't expire until turned 60 or 65. I can't imagine I'd look the same after almost 50 years, but that'd be my most recent ID. I don't think I'd really want to spend s afew hours at the DMV just to satisfy some arbitrary smoke and mirror display of security.

Or what about the non-driver's ID's here in Nevada? My wife has one from the early 90's--no expiration date. Some banks won't take it as ID--and then get very flustered when she comes back with a passport. "Can't you just bring a driver's license?!"

My latest bit of "screwing with the ID checker" is presenting my NEXUS (land) card. It's jointly issues by the US CBP/ICE and Customs Canada, but looks for all the world like a Canadian ID. I generally only do this at an airport with US CBP resident, so that when the rent-a-weenie bounces it, I can have a saner head called over. In another thread, I've pointed out that one could (and people have) used everything from Library of Congress reader identification cards (it's government issued and photo) to a state concealed carry permit (this usually gets an interesting reaction, particularly in California).