What ID do I need for a domestic flight?
For a domestic flight you need government-issued photo ID matching your booking. The exact document depends on the country and on your airline's own rules.
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The rule that actually matters
Your airline decides whether you get on the plane. Governments set a legal minimum, but airlines are free to be stricter than that, and most of them are.
This is why two people on the same route can be told different things. Read the ID section of your airline's conditions of carriage or your booking confirmation and carry what it names. If the flight is part of a trip with a stay booked on trip1, remember the hotel has its own ID rules on top.
United States
Adults need a REAL ID compliant state licence or ID card, marked with a star, or another document on the TSA's accepted list. That list includes a US passport, a passport card, Global Entry and other trusted traveler cards, a permanent resident card, a military ID and a foreign passport.
Passengers under 18 do not need to show ID to the TSA on domestic flights, though the airline may want proof of age for infants and unaccompanied minors.
The EU and the Schengen Area
A valid national identity card is accepted for flights within the EU and the Schengen Area, and for domestic flights inside a member state. A passport works everywhere as well.
There are no systematic border checks on internal Schengen flights, but airlines still verify identity at check-in and at the gate, and several ask for a passport or ID card even on a purely domestic route. A driving licence is often not enough here, because it does not prove nationality.
The United Kingdom
Many UK domestic flights carry no legal requirement to show identification at all. That does not mean you can turn up with nothing in your pocket.
Every UK airline sets its own policy and most now ask for photo ID on domestic routes. Some accept a driving licence or another photo document, others want a passport. Flights to and from the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man and Ireland follow their own rules, so check those separately.
Everywhere else
Most countries follow the same pattern: a national ID card or passport for citizens and residents, and a passport for foreign visitors. Some accept a driving licence on domestic routes, many do not.
If you cannot find a clear answer, carry your passport. It is accepted for domestic travel everywhere and it removes the question entirely.
Important: The name on your ID has to match the name on your booking. Airlines do refuse boarding over a mismatch, so fix any spelling difference with the airline as early as you can.
At the hotel
Flight rules and hotel check-in rules are separate, and clearing one does not clear the other. Hotels normally want government-issued photo ID from every adult guest, and for foreign guests that usually means a passport.
ID for domestic flights - FAQ
A government issued photo ID in the same name as your booking. The exact list depends on the country, and your airline's own policy is what decides whether you board.
Usually not, but a passport is accepted everywhere and is the safest thing to carry if you are unsure what your airline wants.
There is no general legal ID requirement on many UK domestic routes, but airlines set their own rules and most now ask for photo ID. Check your airline's conditions of carriage before you travel.
Yes. A valid national identity card is accepted for flights within the EU and the Schengen Area, and airlines generally accept it on domestic routes too.
Contact the airline as early as you can to correct the name. Airlines can refuse boarding when the booking and the ID do not match.
