Do You Need A Passport For Domestic Travel?

Published On : 18 Oct 2024

A passport is a travel document that identifies the holder and his or her country of origin and it is acceptable in any part of the world. However, do you require a passport even if you are moving from one state to another in the same country? The short answer to this question is no.

When traveling within the United States, one does not necessarily need a passport for flights within the country. You wouldn’t be required to present a passport every time you are traveling from New York to Los Angeles, Miami, or any other city within the 50 states of the United States of America. The same applies to inter-state travel as well. Hence if you are driving from Texas to California, you do not need your passport.

For domestic travel within the United States, there is no requirement for any other document but a valid government-issued photo identification such as a driver’s license or state ID card. These are the only IDs that are acceptable for checking into hotels as well. Persons below 18 years do not require identification for domestic travel within the country.

For domestic air travel, the required identification document is a Real ID driver’s license, state photo ID card or any other ID accepted by TSA. Real ID is more specific in terms of the identification and legal status than other state-issued IDs were before. Starting May 2023, you will require a Real ID-compliant driver’s license or another form of ID acceptable to the TSA for domestic travel.

Some key things to keep in mind regarding Real ID

It is indicated with a star or the words “Federal Limits Apply” written on the card
Also to indicate that the Real IDs are valid, the enhanced driver’s licenses (EDLs) are acceptable.
Starting from the May 2023, standard driver’s licenses without the Real ID certification will no longer be accepted for domestic air travel.
The Real ID Act is currently in effect in most states, although some states do not require them for identification within the state.

So in conclusion—A passport is needed for all the traveling that involves foreign country but is NOT necessary for traveling within the United States by air, by car or by train. The only form of identification required is a government-issued photo identification or driver’s license. Just make sure that starting from May 2023 and further, if you are going to use the state ID or license when flying within the United States, it should be the Real ID.

Bonus Info: The United States territories like Puerto Rico

When it comes to traveling to and from the different territories like Puerto Rico, Guam, U.S. Virgin Islands, Northern Mariana Islands, and American Samoa, there are different ID requirements. In most cases, a passport is not needed, but other photo identification such as a driver’s license will be required.

In order to avoid such situations it is wise to check the identification document’s requirements especially when traveling between the United States and any other US territory. Or consider taking a passport as a measure of caution although it is not strictly necessary in most cases. Nevertheless, it is not generally required to have a passport when moving within the continental United States states or territories.

The only exemption comes in for some regions in the United States and its affiliated states which are located outside North America like the Republic of Palau and Federated States of Micronesia. For that purpose it is necessary to obtain a valid U.S. passport for the travel to those destinations.

Conclusion

Though a passport is very important especially when travelling to other countries, it is not required when traveling within the United States and most of the territories. As far as internal travel protocols are concerned, the only requirement is a valid photo identification document issued by the government like a driver’s license or ID card (make sure it is Real ID compliant to avoid problems starting from 2023). This applies to flights within the 50 states and driving trips that cross state lines. Thus, leave that navy blue passport at home, your reliable state identification card takes care of domestic travel.