Needing to catch a flight after your ID has been lost or stolen is a scenario stressful enough to panic the coolest of cucumbers, especially if you’re away from home and don’t have quick access to backup forms of identification.
If you’ve taken a trip to Las Vegas, say, and misplaced your wallet after a long night of heavy revelry, and now it’s time to fly back home to Minneapolis, what are you supposed to do? They say what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, but are you gonna have to stay there too?
Can I Fly Domestically Without an ID?
“In the event you arrive at the airport without acceptable identification (whether lost, stolen, or otherwise), you may still be allowed to fly,” according to the Transportation Security Administration.
The most common forms of valid ID used at TSA checkpoints are of course state-issued driver’s licenses or other state-issued photo ID cards, and U.S. passports or passport cards. (Note that starting May 7, 2025, your state-issued license or ID card will need to be REAL ID–compliant in order to be accepted by the TSA. Your ID is a REAL ID, meaning it is equipped with strengthened security features, if there’s a star in the upper right-hand corner.)
Other TSA-approved forms of identification at airports include: trusted traveler cards, such as for Global Entry or NEXUS (TSA PreCheck membership won’t cut it); U.S. Department of Defense IDs; permanent resident cards; federally recognized Tribal Nation photo IDs; and official passports issued by foreign governments. (Click here to see the full list of ID options accepted by the TSA.)
If you do not have any of those, all is not lost—even if your passport is.
At the airport security checkpoint, the TSA agent will ask you for two forms of alternative ID.
At least one of those must contain your name and “identifying information” such as a photo, address, Social Security number, and date of birth, per the TSA.
Examples the agency provides of possible alternative forms of ID: your student ID, credit card, birth certificate, Social Security Card, and health insurance card.
If you don’t happen to have two of the above pieces of documentation on you—and if you’ve lost your wallet or don’t keep your birth certificate Scotch-taped to your chest at all times, that’s a very real possibility—all is still not lost.
But now you’ll be asked to complete the TSA’s identity verification process. That mostly involves filling out a form asking for your full name, current address, signature, and date.
TSA employees then use that info to verify your identity by consulting government records. You might be asked to answer additional questions.
Once your identity is confirmed, you will proceed through the security checkpoint. Expect additional screening and a pat-down.
Because your security experience will be significantly more complicated than that of the typical passenger, the TSA recommends arriving at the airport at least 3 hours before your scheduled flight departure.
In the unlikely event that TSA agents are unable to verify your identity, you will not be allowed to pass through the security checkpoint. That’s when you’ll need to start looking at other ways to get back home or pleading with loved ones to FedEx you some alternate forms of ID ASAP.
Can I Fly with a Photo of My Driver’s License or Passport?
No, you’ll need a physical copy of your ID—you can’t simply show agents a photo on your phone.
However, residents of 11 states do currently have the option of storing a TSA-approved digital ID on their smartphones that can then be used as acceptable forms of identification to board flights at more than two dozen U.S. airports equipped with the necessary technology to scan digital IDs.
As of September 2024, the states that can issue TSA-compliant digital IDs are Arizona, California, Colorado, Georgia, Hawaii, Iowa, Louisiana, Maryland, New York, Ohio, and Utah.
To learn more about digital identification at U.S. airports, go to TSA.gov.
Can I Fly Internationally Without an ID?
ID rules are stricter for international flights. If you lose your passport while traveling in a country outside the U.S., you must “replace the passport before returning” home, according to the State Department.
Contact the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate immediately. “Ask to speak to the Consular Section to report your passport lost or stolen,” advises the State Department.
You will have to appear in person at the embassy or consulate to apply for a new passport. “If there is not enough time to get you a regular passport,” according to the government’s guidance, “the Consular Section may be able to give you a limited-validity emergency passport, which may be valid for up to one year.”
Your folks back home can try calling the Office of Overseas Citizens Services at 888/407-4747. That office can also help put U.S. citizens in touch with embassies and consulates abroad.