A friend and I had just started a two week trip to celebrate his retirement. As we were on the second flight to get to our destination, I searched for my ID. To my horror, I couldn’t find it anywhere.
I soon realized that after going through TSA, I didn’t put my ID away. I had placed it in my pocket and it fell out when I was sitting down. What a rookie move? Besides not being able to drive the whole trip, I thought about how I was going to get home since I still needed to go through TSA.
This was a new occurrence for me and I didn’t know if it was even possible. So, in this post I want to share with you what you should do if you ever find yourself in a situation where your ID has been lost or stolen and you want to travel on a plane.
Can You Fly if You Don’t Have Your ID?
The short answer to that question is yes. You are going to need a little more time and go through a little more screening to be able to get on a plane.
This only applies if you are flying domestically. If you are flying from the US overseas or coming back to the US from a foreign country, it’s going to be a little more complicated.
When Should You Get to the Airport?
You should get to the airport at least a couple hours ahead of your flight. If you know it’s a busy travel day, you’ll want to arrive even earlier.
How Do You Get Through TSA without an ID?
When you get to the airport, you’ll get in the TSA line like you normally would and when you get to the TSA agent, you can let them know your situation.
The TSA website says that a TSA agent will take you through a verification process. The agent will collect information like your name and current address. If your identity is verified, you’ll then be allowed to go through additional screening.
This was exactly my experience. The agent asked for two forms of identification with my name on it. I gave her my medical insurance card and a credit card. Neither one of those things had my photo on it. Once she verified my identity, I was taken to an area where they did a pat-down.
Next, they opened up my carry on and they swabbed it to check for any explosive residue. Once they were satisfied with everything, I was allowed to get my carry on and proceed to my gate.
The whole process took an extra 10 to 15 minutes overall. That wasn’t bad considering how packed the Denver airport was that day.
What Forms of ID Can Help Identify You?
I told you what I used to help identify me but there are numerous other forms of ID that can help you get through TSA if your ID was lost or stolen.
A few examples of other forms of identification include: a bill with your name and address on it, a Sam’s Club or Costco membership card, birth certificate, prescription medication with your name on it, checkbooks, library card, and magazines with your name and address on it.
The lesson here is that the more items you have with your name and address or better yet, your name and photo the better off you’ll be.
What Happens if You Can’t be Identified?
If they can’t identify you after going through everything, unfortunately you won’t be able to board the plane.
What Other Forms of ID Will TSA Accept?
Besides your driver’s license, the TSA website has a long list of other IDs that you can use to help you get through TSA without going through a screening process. The most common ones include:
- Passport
- Passport Card
- U.S. Department of Defense ID, including IDs issued to dependents
- DHS trusted traveler cards (Global Entry, NEXUS, SENTRI, FAST)
You can even use an expired driver’s license or state issued ID to get through TSA. It just has to be less than a year after its expiration. You can see the whole list of acceptable IDs by clicking here.
Final Thoughts
Losing or having your ID stolen can be a stressful situation when you are wanting to fly but it doesn’t have to be. As you can see, even though you don’t have a proper ID, you can still get through TSA when flying domestically.
When you are traveling, you just want to make sure that you have a couple forms of identification on you that will help you get through TSA if your ID is lost or stolen.
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