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. Since 1 February 2026, travellers without acceptable ID can pay a $45 TSA ConfirmID fee to try to verify their identity at the checkpoint.
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
Only on domestic flights. For any international flight you need a passport or another recognised travel document, because a driver's license does not prove your nationality or your right to enter another country. Within the US, TSA accepts a REAL ID compliant driver's license or a state-issued enhanced driver's license at the checkpoint.
Yes, if it is REAL ID compliant, usually marked with a star, or a state-issued enhanced driver's license. Since 7 May 2025, TSA no longer accepts licenses that are not REAL ID compliant, and a temporary paper license is not accepted either. Otherwise bring a passport, passport card or another ID on TSA's list.
Yes, if you have another acceptable ID such as a US passport, passport card or Global Entry card. If you have no acceptable ID at all, since 1 February 2026 you can pay a $45 TSA ConfirmID fee so TSA can try to verify your identity, but success is not guaranteed and you could miss your flight.
For US domestic flights, TSA accepts a REAL ID compliant or enhanced driver's license or state ID, a US passport or passport card, trusted traveler cards such as Global Entry and NEXUS, a permanent resident card, a foreign government passport and several military and federal IDs. TSA also accepts these IDs up to two years after they expire.
No. A birth certificate is not on TSA's list of acceptable IDs. If it is all you have, you can pay the $45 TSA ConfirmID fee and TSA will try to verify your identity at the checkpoint, with no guarantee it can. For an international flight a birth certificate is no help at all: you need a passport.
Often yes in your own country, where hotels usually take a driver's license 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. Bring your passport whenever you stay outside your home country.