CoachMB

Hi all,

not strictly an immigration, but a question relating to my status in the US. I am on a a working visa, not a citizen or permanent resident.

Is a US drivers license enough for me to fly domestically?

I am traveling in a months time. My UK passport is up for renewal in June, and i hope to fly to england in july so could do with getting my passport and renewal documents sent off sooner rather than later, but obviously don't want to be left unable to fly in March.

This paragraph (source: http://http://traveltips.usatoday.co...vel-13294.html ) would suggest I'm ok to travel.. assuming a driving license counts? Government issued photo ID right?

Non-US Citizens
Non-US citizens who can present a government-issued ID like a permanent resident card are not required to present a passport for air travel within the United States. Non-US citizen passengers who cannot present a government-issued ID should carry their passports at all times in America.

However, i just wanted to check. In looking to book flights this evening, when clicking through and asked for advanced passenger info, the only ID option in the dropdown listed is passport.

I couldn't find any references to this specific situation on any government or airline site itself.

md95065

Yes.
Yes.
For a domestic flight???
Probably because, for the most part, they just assume that everyone in the U.S. knows that a U.S. state driver's license is a "government issued photo-id" (notwithstanding the provisions of the REAL ID Act which you can read about here).

CoachMB

thanks for the reply.. i had always assumed having a license was fine... (i haven't flown domestically for a couple of years, so can't remember what i used)... until trying to book this flight.

I have the option to enter 'advanced passenger information' it doesn't say 'optional', but presumably if i don't do it now i would just have to do it later. If i select to do it, it asks for passport number, which is what threw me.

It's a dropdown menu for 'type of ID' but hardly a dropdown as i click it, and the only option is passport. I was trying to book a delta through edreams.net, as thats where i found it the cheapest, but i could try and a different site to book and see if i have the same question.

Thought it was strange that it wouldn't give me any other option.

Somebody else is welcome to go on the site and find a random flight so they can see what i mean.. (obviously you can select and see the options I'm talking about without actually booking).

sir_eccles

Drivers license is fine domestically.

That said, as a non-citizen it's probably a good idea to have proof of lawful presence to hand when traveling.

Orangepants

Not going to Arizona are you? Whilst in AZ for a week, I was asked for my passport 4 times. Photocopy the passport and bring copy of the visa approval paperwork as backup in case you are asked about your status.

Steve_

What?

I've taken domestic flights from inside Arizona and used my Alberta DL with no problem. I have had to pull out my NEXUS card at Border Patrol checkpoints on occasion but usually they don't care, I just tell them I'm Canadian and they waive me through.

Frankly what used to annoy me was that no-one in TSA seemed to know what a NEXUS card was and then I had to pull out my Alberta DL, which seemed bizarre to me as the NEXUS card is issued by CBP, however lately they seem to have finally had some training and they now know what they are.

Orangepants

We had our Carolina driving licences but they wanted, as sir_eccles said, to know our status in the US as we are not USCs. I should add this was not at the airport, this was driving within Arizona. I expected it near state lines but once was in Flagstaff.

sir_eccles

RealID or rather lack of in certain States is going to cause problems next year.

md95065

Ironically, there is (for now, at least) absolutely no requirement for US citizens to carry anything with them to prove that they are US citizens (in fact, I don't believe that there is any requirement that they actually even possess a copy of any such document).

Steve_

This was the cops? I assume so as there are no BP checkpoints as far north as Flagstaff.

I was driving down Highway 93 once and I think I was around 10mph over the speed limit, anyway this cop zoomed out from the central reservation with his lights on and as soon as he got close enough to see the Alberta licence plate he slammed his brakes on and swerved off the road. I only noticed him in my rearview when I heard the screech of the tires and I could see a cloud of dust going back to the central reservation.

I assume because there is no driver compact with Alberta there is no point giving us tickets.

Steve_

There's no requirement for anybody to carry anything other than LPRs, who are required to carry their: "alien registration cards". The problem is that some BP officers and local cops seem to assume that every alien gets one, which obviously isn't the case.

Canadian visitors for example don't get I-94s (even electronic ones), so if your passport expires you could have nothing to prove any sort of legal presence, you don't even need to enter with a passport, you can use an EDL for example. (The six-month passport validity rule doesn't apply to Canadians either). You don't need a Canadian passport to enter Canada either, CBSA accepts pretty much anything, like a birth certificate.

I remember talking to a Canadian who actually was arrested at a checkpoint run by a county sheriff in Texas and held overnight until they could check his story with BP in the morning.

This is one of the reasons I got a NEXUS card after talking to that guy, because it's US Govt. issued so it can't easily be argued with.

Steve_

Not that it's bad advice but legally that's bullshit. Lots of nationalities are exempt from the six-month validity rule for passports. It will become an issue when the REAL ID rules for domestic air travel are brought into force next year though. Because a passport is the obvious one to go for, especially if you live in a State that doesn't issue REAL ID like Arizona.

durham_lad

Wow, we'll be driving in Arizona during April and then September this year on vacation. When we drove to Big Bend National Park in Texas 2 years ago we were stopped twice by BP and had to show passports, but we expected that since it is close to the border and had taken our passports with us. We never normally carry our passports with us when driving within the USA.

Thanks for the heads-up.