Can I fly with a driver's license instead of a passport?
Only on some domestic routes. A driver's license is never enough for international travel, and in the US it has to be REAL ID compliant.
Updated
Why a driving licence is not a travel document
A driving licence proves you are allowed to drive and that you are who you say you are. It says nothing about your nationality or your right to enter another country, and that is exactly what a border officer needs to know.
That is why no country accepts one for international travel. If your trip1 booking is in another country, plan the whole trip around your passport and check its expiry date now rather than at the airport.
Flying within the United States
A driving licence is fine for a US domestic flight if it is REAL ID compliant, usually shown by a star in the top corner, or if it is a state-issued enhanced driver's licence.
A plain licence without that marking has not been accepted since enforcement began on 7 May 2025. If yours is not compliant, carry a passport, a passport card, a Global Entry card or another document on the TSA's list.
Flying within Europe
Most European countries and airlines do not accept a driving licence for a flight, including domestic ones. The standard documents are a passport or a national identity card.
A few carriers do accept a licence on purely internal routes, but that is a policy choice rather than a rule you can count on. Read the airline's conditions of carriage instead of assuming, because the airline is the one that decides at the gate.
Land borders and car hire
A handful of land borders accept documents other than a passport for specific groups of travellers, but a driving licence on its own is almost never one of them.
Car hire is the reverse case. There you do need your licence, and often an international driving permit alongside it, but that permit is only a translation and is never accepted as identification.
Important: If your journey includes even one international leg, you need a passport for the whole trip. Airlines check documents at the first check-in desk, and a refused boarding is not usually refundable.
Hotel check-in
Hotels in your own country will usually take a driving licence as photo ID. Abroad, most hotels want a passport from foreign guests, and in many countries they are legally required to record passport details for guest registration.
Some hotels also ask for a payment card at check-in to hold against incidentals. That is the hotel's own policy and separate from how you paid for your booking on trip1.
Flying with a driver's licence - FAQ
On domestic flights in some countries, yes. For any international flight you need a passport or another recognised travel document, and a driving licence will not be accepted.
Only if it is REAL ID compliant, usually marked with a star, or an enhanced driver's licence. Otherwise you need another accepted ID such as a passport or passport card.
Usually not for cross-border flights. A driving licence does not prove nationality, so airlines want a passport or a national identity card instead.
Often yes for a stay in your own country. Hotels abroad almost always want a passport from foreign guests, and in many countries they are legally required to record it.
No. An international driving permit is only a translation of your national licence and is never accepted as a travel document or as standalone ID.