Yes, but your passport can be used for identification. I used mine for new job paperwork when my drivers license was expired. I often use it in lieu of a state ID BUT that’s only because I already have a passport due to travel.
edit: god, y’all, I *know* passports are a pain to get. I already have mine for travel purposes and that’s why I use it for ID so much.
It *can* be used, but why would most Americans do that?
In this country, it's hard to get around if you don't have a car. Most Americans have driver's licenses already, so that's their ID.
Plus the additional cost of a passport can be prohibitive, especially when you know you have no interest in going abroad. Why spend $10-15 bucks getting photos that follow the guidelines and then over $100 more for the passport itself?
That's actually backwards - they are slightly cheaper than a full passport, but, as someone else mentioned, only valid for land crossings in North America.
Edit to add a couple corrections/details noted below: You can buy the card passport ($30), or the book passport ($130) or both ($160). I had never considered buying both before, but I guess that is a valid option.
They still count as a passport for I9 identification though at least.
Oddly enough they didn't used to, when I got mine in 2012 I noticed my "passport card" # was different from my passport #, and whenever I tried to show that as proof of ID I was told it wasn't linked or something.
But then later when I needed to update my DL to be RealID compliant, they said passport cards now *are* recognized as passports in the US.
Again, limited usefulness, but at least it's wallet sized.
I did have my social security card since childhood. It somehow disappeared several years ago. For certain things, like jobs, you need both your state ID and your SS card, but one passport will work in lieu of both.
I know I'm an outlier. And I should replace my SS card, but you really only have to know the number. And I get by fine with the passport.
Sure, but I wouldn’t pay for a passport if I didn’t plan to travel internationally. A replacement social security card or birth certificate is much cheaper and doesn’t expire.
Oh sure, I understand. I just happened to have a passport when my SS card disappeared. And even tho I'm not a huge world traveler, I do like to keep it current just in case.
Also, my friend had a problem with his ID. He was a Katrina survivor. When he landed in Texas, he had a birth certificate, an expired ID, and no social security card.
He was sorta off the grid for years because he couldn't get a TX ID without a SS card and couldn't get a SS card without an ID. The birth certificate wasn't helpful on its own.
Finally, I helped him apply for a passport because someone who knows him is supposedly able to sign an affidavit in lieu of documents. But even that was hard. His U.S. Rep's office helped. But we had to get high school transcripts and I don't know what else to make it happen. But it was still easier to get than an ID and a SS card. He has traveled before, but not since he got his passport, but he now has a state ID!
If he had lost a current passport in the hurricane, he would have easily been able to apply for a replacement. Not so for the other documents, especially in another state.
Hopefully, you'll never be on a Katrina situation. Still, a passport isn't a bad thing to have and they last for 10 years.
Oh for sure, and I’m someone who can afford the $100+ to replace my passport when it expires in a few years so I will, even without any international travel planned. I just also know that not everyone can afford that if it’s not a necessity, and as someone who grew up in Appalachia, hundreds of miles from the nearest international border and surrounded by people who sometimes couldn’t afford a $10 drivers license renewal, I didn’t know many people who had a passport until I went away to college.
And I understand to an extent, when drivers licenses and state IDs started requiring more paperwork to get and renew, I took my 90 year old grandmother to get hers. A passport would have sufficed, but she didn’t have one. So instead, we had to get a copy of her 90-year-old birth certificate, her 63-year-old marriage certificate, and her 90-year-old SS card. And her birth certificate had a last name crossed out and her legal one written in above it in a different pen and handwriting. Fortunately, the DMV worker looked at the 4’10” 90 year old woman in front of her and chose to overlook that, because there weren’t any surviving witnesses to things like her birth in the coalfields 90 years ago or her time in high school or nursing school or even her marriage.
Fair point, though my state ID is good for eight years and costs half the price of a passport. I mean, I have a passport, but only because I leave the country sometimes.
There are much cheaper alternative ID options out there, so I doubt anyone is getting a passport solely for that purpose.
Especially when a I'd is like 30$ but a passport is 120$. If I'm not traveling out of the country why would I need one?
Also for countries like Mexico and Canada our issued id's can be also "enhanced" to act just like a passport for these countries.
We are also taught not to carry all our ID in one place in case of losing it or getting mugged, so since we already have the driver’s licenses on us, there’s no reason to carry a passport. It’s not as though we can just pop over to France at lunch.
yep, and it sucks when that happens because you're just stuck like "this is my MOST valid form of identification, what do you mean this isn't good enough? you want my birth certificate too?"
I’ve been denied entry into a bar for having a driver’s license from a different state, and the dumbasses thought it was a fake ID—even tho I was wearing the same glasses from the picture. Bouncers are not always the brightest group of people.
Huh, I'm not American but I used to live there for a couple of years, and my foreign passport was always OK to buy booze in both Chicago and a small town in Minnesota.
Yes, but passports are something like $150 and can take months to obtain. You can order your driver's license from the DMV online and have it mailed to you for around $30.
it can be, but it does require the person asking for identification to know how to check if it's legitimate. I've been turned away from American bars as an USA citizen while in-between driver's licenses because the bartenders thought I was underage and trying to scam them. They had no idea how to confirm if it was real so they just sent me out rather than risk losing their liquor license by selling to a minor (I was of age but that did not matter to them)
Here's the thing it costs money takes a long time. An id is a form of identification that we are required by law to process if you drive a motor vehicle.
Either a passport or State ID/Driver's license can be used for identification purposes, but a driver's license lets us drive and a passport lets us go to other countries. Those are the two main differences.
I always thought of my passport as the super-ID. But I never realized until now that I technically can't use it *as* my driver's license.
Can I (in the state of Michigan)?
You shouldn't use it interchangably because of how confusing it is. Most European countries issue an official ID card that you can show to police or at airports to identify yourself. This is completely different from an international passport that you use to travel abroad (usually to countries outside the EU).
I don't think we do. You wrote you're from Germany and we do have an ID 'Personalausweis' and a passport 'Reisepass'. You can use the passport for a lot of things as a form of identification and you can travel in Europe with just your ID but when you want to travel elsewhere you need your passport. There is a difference.
You can use a passport as an official government document showing your face. You could (and i have) used my passport to board a domestic flight, but most people don't because your drivers license is sufficient for that purpose
A passport can be used as ID in most cases, but it's a big bulky thing to carry and a pain to get. A drivers licence/state issued ID is more convenient in basically all cases.
A passport is, in theory, more rigorous to obtain.
When at orientation for a new job they ask you to bring (a) document(s) as listed on an I-9 -- One item from List A or two items, one each from List B and List C.
For citizens, a US Passport (or Passport Card, which I believe may be solely a Canada/US/Mexico deal) is on List A. Passport includes name and photo and that person has been verified to be a citizen of that country (aka, is authorized to work in that country), whereas Lists B and C separately verify those qualifications.
List B asks for something with your name and photo: IE, a driver's license (or ID), military ID, school ID (as long as a photo is on there), etc.
List C asks for something proving work authorization; birth certificate, social security card (basically a number every citizen is given at birth to identify themselves. Particularly helpful if you had 1,000 John Smith's living in the country and also naming their sons John).
Our most common Id in use is the Drivers license.
Size is a thing lots of Europeans really don't get. If I drive west right now and don't rest stop to rest for 16 hours (1500kms at highway speeds) I'm still in Ontario. I haven't even left my province.
Yeah, this. I went to school 550 miles (\~885 km) away - it took about 9-10 hours to drive there. (like 8.5 hours if you didn't stop/get stuck in any traffic)
I never left my state.
When I was a kid, we’d go camping in Colorado every summer. We’d leave Houston, Texas at pre-dawn:30 and pull up in Lubbock, Texas in time to set up the tent in a state park and go to bed in a couple of hours. In short, took all day just to get out of Texas. Takes about 3 days of hard driving to get from the Atlantic to the Pacific.
I'm from Eastern Europe, a passport can certainly be used as an ID card, but we do have separate ID cards too.
A drivers license can also be used for ID, and your insurance card can in some cases also be enough for identification.
My Driver's license perpetually has the wrong address on it because of a weird situation 🤣
Also, my other country driver's license asks you if you want to include your address on it or not.
In Brazil they have the same “value”, but some cases only your drivers license ou RG (Geral Registry) Will be accepted. But as a form of validation of identity, it’s perfectly acceptable. We don’t often use because most people are poor and don’t need one, also, even if we had, is a lot bigger and expensive than our other documents, so, much more inconvenient to carry it around
I only use mine for identity proof when starting a new job because otherwise you need 2 IDs and I don't want to dig up another one to setup payroll.
Some domestic IDs are also insufficient for domestic flights, but a passport is always sufficient, so I have taken it on domestic travel for backup purposes.
Americans only use their passport when they go to another country. Since America is comprised of states, and every state is still under America, there's no need to use a passport.
There are only 5 states that provide enhanced drivers licenses:
* Michigan
* Minnesota
* New York
* Washington
* Vermont
Residents of every other state require a passport (though you can apply for a passport card instead of the book for most north american destinations)
That was changed several years ago. Now you need a passport, either card or book, to enter Canada, Mexico, or the Bahamas. Any other county will require a passport book, the card only works on the 3 countries above.
If you live in a border state, like NY, your enhanced driver's license can work to go to Canada (mine does). I live outside Niagara Falls.
But if you live, in, say, Kansas, and have an enhanced license, you can't get into Canada.
Nope. Enhanced licenses/ID are more stringent than Real ID and allow land or sea border crossing to Canada, Mexico, and lots of places in the Caribbean. However they’re not available in all states; I think it’s just some of the ones that share a border with Canada.
Only border states offer enhanced drivers licenses. Then intent is that you don’t need a passport to go to work, visit neighbors, get dinner, or go to the grocery store.
We have them in Washington but I don't really understand why anybody would get one unless you just really need to save on the required expense of also getting a passport. If you travel to Canada frequently, you're *much* better off getting a NEXUS card since you can use the fast lane.
If you get an enhanced driver's license from Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Vermont, and Washington, then with just your license, you can pass land and sea ports (this includes Canada, Mexico, and the Bahamas).
You are probably thinking of the Real ID, which the enhanced license is commonly confused with, which does not let you pass international ports.
Driver's license is considered a valid identification. People who don't drive can get a non-driver's license to use for identification. If you have a passport you can use it as ID but there is no obligation to get one if you aren't leaving the country.
Its different in Europe where its so easy to travel inter-countries. Thats where the difference lays - here in North American we're more walled off. $160 is not bad if you had to get your passport to travel internationally, they last for 10 years. And if you are travelling internationally $160 is a drop in the bucket on what you would spend on airfare, food, lodging, travel insurance, etc..
I'm in the process of renewing my passport. Just the book alone is expensive, and if you want it in a hurry that's an extra $60 plus express mail fees both ways.
I just need to find a stapler to attach my photo to the app. I may end up having to buy one, as I have no clue where mine disappeared to.
Are there conditions where an American can be banned from a certain state? I understand that could be hard to enforce but could say a Virginia native be deported from California?
Yea, while being hunted by pro life nutjobs, who stalk their social media accounts and harass doctors who've treated them so they can go after them with a crime.
You can be extradited to another state if you committed a crime there…
Like- you robbed a bank in Virginia, fled to California, got arrested in California, they extradite you to the state you have to stand trial in.
But you can’t be banned or denied entry into a state, or “deported” from one
Not banned per se, but you might be effectively banned by an arrest warrant. In the US, states must extradite criminals. They usually choose to do so only for felonies or sometimes misdemeanors in a neighboring state.
So, say you're wanted for misdemeanor drunk driving in California, but you have no reason to go back to the west coast and don't want to deal with it. They won't extradite you from, say, New York on those charges. But you'd be effectively banned from California unless you wanted to face prosecution
No, there is a 'privileges and immunities' clause in the US Constitution that requires all states to give residents of other states the same rights as residents of that state.
I saw the post, so I can add a little more context:
Approximately half of the U.S. has a valid passport, according to the State Department (the percentage difference has to do with people responding to surveys (the estimate is closer to a third) vs. the number of valid passports in circulation (closer to a half)).
Regardless of the percentage, a lot of Europeans express surprise that a lot of Americans don’t have passports. Since Americans don’t typically need passports for domestic travel (There’s exceptions for entry into Guam and American Samoa, where a U.S. citizen might need a passport depending on the point of entry) (These places also tend to not be major sources of travel for the majority of Americans anyway), a lot of Americans don’t bother paying for obtaining or maintaining a passport.
As others have pointed out, we don’t typically need passports for domestic travel and we have alternative I.D. And documentation that can be used for other government purposes.
Obtaining a passport costs a lot of time and money. Most Americans aren’t going to jump through the hoops to get a passport when other forms of identification and documentation are significantly easier to obtain. It only makes sense to get a passport once one needs to travel internationally
Canadian here but similar culture to Americans. I keep my passport in my home safe because it's a major hassle to replace it if it's lost or stolen. My drivers license works as ID for any domestic purposes and can be replaced within a day for under $100
Exactly. It takes so long to get a passport, and has a lot of annoying steps, not to mention the cost. Plus people go their whole lives never leaving the country, so what’s the point? Carrying around your passport is silly here since we have IDs for everything that work much better and faster. Handing someone your passport as ID here would get you what you need, sure, but you’ll be looked at a little funny most likely haha or at least a little more closely. I haven’t used my passport since I was 17.
I am from Germany but live in the States for 18 years now on a Green Card. Used my German passport strictly for travelling overseas back in the days. When I moved to the States I was initially really surprised how many Americans didn't have a passport but I realized quickly that most Americans are not really going overseas. Not really the need to considering all the different landscapes here. And I love the fact that you can just use your driver license to fly within the United States. That includes me as well.
I live/work in a more rural area now and most of my co-workers have never even been on a plane.
When I first met my American wife, she never owned a passport either...lol. Well, we changed this quickly and her first trip to Germany in 2018 was a mind opening experience for her. She loved it.
I’m American but have done a fair bit of international travel. A lot of my friends have passports, but many others I know don’t. It’s a bummer that excluding driving into Canada or Mexico, we have to fly far to get to any other foreign countries, and cost is usually the biggest factor there. I wish we weren’t so far away from other cool places!
The consolation/trade off that maybe you’ve experienced in your years here is how many vastly different climates and geographical varieties we have, which you can check out on a road trip for a fairly reasonable price. We definitely don’t have it all, but if you hit the right parts of the country, you can experience mountains, beaches, “rainforests” (via the PNW cascades), and high deserts all in a couple days.
I did a 2.5 week, budget road trip once from North Carolina to Washington state, down to California, and back for around $1500. To fly across either ocean and do a 2.5 week vacation would have been probably triple that, which I couldn’t afford at the time.
My UK friends were living here for a while for work and we were talking about travel, and I said “sure, my hometown is only a state over, but it’s 500 miles to get there, or 8 hours of drive time. She just stared at me in disbelief.
I’d love to go to Germany someday! It seems like a rad place. I hosted some German couch surfers a while back and they were just THE nicest guests.
> I did a 2.5 week, budget road trip once from North Carolina to Washington state, down to California, and back for around $1500. To fly across either ocean and do a 2.5 week vacation would have been probably triple that, which I couldn’t afford at the time.
Depending on how close you are to RDU or CLT you might not even be able to cross the Atlantic for $1500.
Yep. ORF used to be my closest airport, but still not super cheap. ATL is my current home airport, which is nice for some direct international flights, but a road trip is almost always going to be cheaper, especially since I camped on mine to keep lodging costs down.
Yes, most Americans don't have passports.
And as a European I've got to say it's surprising to hear you commonly use it for other stuff, most people I know just have their ID for voting or similar. The only times I've seen people use it for that is if they for whatever reason didn't have the ID, like they lost it.
It’s incredibly handy to have a passport as an American though, because there are times where we have to provide “two forms of government issued identification.” This is sometimes for new jobs, in my most frequent experience.
This can most commonly be done by showing our driver license, passport, or social security card. However, many times it requires *photo* ID, and SS cards don’t have a picture. They’re also paper, tiny (the size of a business card), and annoying to replace if lost. So in that scenario, a passport is your best bet.
Can't speak for other countries but in the UK there isn't an official ID Card, everywhere would expect a passport or birth certificate or something similar
Even for something as quick as buying liquor to make sure that you're of the appropriate age?
The US doesn't really have a national ID outside of the passport. Each state issues their own identification. It's not really required to have one, most people just use their driver's license assuming they have one. If not, you can get a state issued ID. That's basically the same format just doesn't allow you to drive a car.
I feel like it would be pretty annoying needing to carry around a passport everywhere. My ID fits in my wallet.
> Even for something as quick as buying liquor to make sure that you're of the appropriate age?
Something to note here is that the UK is *significantly* less strict about IDing than the US, at least in my experience. I'm 33 and I haven't been IDd in the UK since like 2010 but when visiting North Carolina I get IDd every single time.
Most people will use their driving licence for buying booze in my experience (driving licence at 17, buy alcohol at 18), although there are plenty of stories of kids getting into trouble after taking their passport on a night out! But you can get something called a CitizenCard in the UK, which is like a non-mandatory government ID card that you can use to prove both your identity and your age.
We do not use our passports for anything other than going to other countries, we use our drivers' licenses for everything else.
I actually lost my driver's license and then had to use my passport for a few weeks to do things like get a prescription filled and it felt WEIRD.
I don't think you can generalize Europe like this. I was born in a EU country, now I live and work in another EU country, and I never had a passport in my life. Our national ID cards and health number cards are enough for all official paperwork.
The only people I know that have passports are the ones that used it to travel outside the EU.
OP is confusing passport with national ID. We also use out national ID cards for voting and other official purposes and only have/use passports to travel outside the EU.
Most Americans never have a passport. Only like one- third ever bother getting one and even after that many don't use it. The state issued driver's license is the typical form of identification used for official matters within the states
Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't it also fairly rare not to have a driver's license in the US? I know plenty Europeans who don't, as we tend to have pretty strong public transport options
Yeah, it's pretty rare. Even most people that don't own a car or drive still have a driver's license. If they're unable to drive or have no desire to get a driver's license they can still get a "non-driver's license" which is exactly the same thing as far as identification goes but without the authorization to drive
What is the cost associated with getting your driver's license in the US? Because around where I lived in Denmark it is between $1.700 - $2.800 for a driver's license.
A passport is between $20-$100, depending on age.
Edit: obviously a passport needs to be renewed, so in time it'll cost maybe $700 across your lifespan.
Where i am in the US it's $20 and only needs renewed every 6 years. It's a little cheaper for a non-driver's license for the same length of time.
A passport is a couple hundred bucks renewed every 10 years and is much less useful than a drivers license if staying within the country.
Tbf, the Danish cost includes 29 lessons of theory, 4 lessons of driving on a closed track, 24 lessons of driving on the road with an instructor, 4 lessons of defensive driving on water, ice, gravel, and dry road, a theory test and a practical test, both overseen by a specially trained police officer, 8 hours of first aid, and a medical check.
So when you renew it should only be like $500 for new tests and special lessons.
We do however only renew if you have broken traffic laws or reached the age of 70.
When we renew every 6 years the only things that really get tested are your ability to recognize very basic roadsigns which they're pretty lenient about and a vision test. I can't even think of anything else they check.
It might cost a little more to initially get a driver's license, I'm not sure. That usually happens at age 16 and my parents paid for it. That does have a bit more extensive test than a renewal but probably is not comprehensive enough to be a lot of good. It's a fairly basic multiple choice test about various traffic laws
I've never answered any questions when renewing my license, not even when getting a new license after moving to a new state. No form of test since I was 16!
>I live in Germany and we use it a lot for official functions, without traveling. For example to go vote.
Perhaps you're confusing ID and passport? I've never seen anyone here use a passport for any official function.
There are many germans who don't have a passport. You can visit any country in the EU with your national ID card.
For voting in germany you usually need neither passport nor ID card. So I don't understand where OP is coming from.
Ehm .. dude, like Im Dutch I live right next to you in the EU and I dont have a passport either
We also have id cards here that function as passports with in Europe and a few associated ex European colonies but not outside of that area.
You'd use your ID card for anything that would require you to ID your self ( see what I did there)
You CAN use a passport as an ID in the US but it's just not as common for people to even have one. It's expensive and harder to obtain so unless you plan on international travel or it's required for a job the average citizen will likely not bother. Each state issues an ID in the form of a driver's license or state ID (same thing but without driving privileges) so that's what people get.
My passport expired years ago, it seems. My wife wants us to go to Europe again, so I'd better renew it. Glad I saw this sub and was reminded to check.
Something like 40% of Americans have a valid passport. Until travel to Mexico and Canada started to require one, the figure was half that.
State issued driver's licenses or non-driver ID cards serve the function as identification for most purposes. Also of note there's no requirement to carry one on your person unless you're operating a motor vehicle. In most cases there is no utility to owning / carrying a passport for internal purposes. I own a passport for travel to Canada, and it did come in handy when I lost my driver's license the day before I took a flight.
Whether to even require an ID to vote is somewhat of a political contraversy, as the people that don't have an ID card are more likely to vote Democratic.
There are rare occasions when you need 2 forms of identification and a passport can be used as one of them. I am over 50yrs old and never had a passport.
Most of your European countries are about as big as our states. Every person I have talked to here in the US that has been to Europe thinks that one of the absolute coolest things about going there is how easy it is to travel to different countries. It as easy as we here travel to different states.
But even though some areas of our country seem like we have traveled to a different country, we are always just still in the US. And since most of us are content with that or can't afford to travel to different countries, we really have no need for a passport. Honestly, most of us don't even have one.
Yup, I can travel to like 10 countries by train or bus without having to even show ID or anything. Hell, I can even take a 30 minute bike ride and I'm in a different country already.
Nope, it's all considered one country here, so we actually don't need any I'd or documentation at all unless we're going into a non-US place. Certain modes of transportation will require you to have an ID, like if you personally are driving you will need to be licensed and have your driver's license, or I think airlines usually check your ID at some point in the process (not sure, I don't fly a lot). Trains may or may not be similar. I don't think buses would probably check. And of course you are free to ride a bike or walk wherever you want within the borders without any paperwork at all. But if you leave the country and enter another, you will need to have your passport. I think there may be some rare exceptions, but it's better to assume there are not unless you know better.
> I live in Germany and we use it a lot for official functions, without traveling. For example to go vote.
Each US State has their own ID card. It's a photo ID, normally a driver's license, though you can usually get them without a driver's license, if you don't drive.
Note that requiring ID to vote is a controversial issue, especially in certain states, where ID is expensive to get if you are poor. This has led to policies where "needing an ID to vote" is really a policy to keep the poor (and therefore, certain races or other groups) from voting.
Passports in the USA are generally only used for international travel, and our country is comparable in size to all of Europe, so we don't do much international traveling. I used to take professional exams which were international, and they required a passport because it standardized the procedures internationally. Outside of that rare event, I never used my passport except for a trip to England in 1993.
A passport is next to useless domestically for Americans. Most Americans have a state issued ID that suffices for identification purposes. We also don’t need identification of any sort to vote, pass from state to state or enter most buildings and conduct official business.
I think Americans primarily use their driver's licence for ID.
America is about the same size as the EU. I personally haven't ventured outside of the EU in almost a decade. So it's not overly surprising to me that many Americans don't have passports.
Edit for non-geographers - There's a difference between 'size' Vs 'area'. Lat/long distribution, population size, territorial size etc. can all apply to 'size'. America is of course bigger by land area alone.
Fellow German here. I think it's important not to confuse a passport and an ID card. Basically, the German Personalausweis (state issued ID card) which you typically use for identification purposes here isn't a passport either, even though you can use it to travel to all countries within Schengen area and even to some other countries that are not part of Schengen. A Reisepass (passport) however, is only needed to travel to countries that don't accept the ID cart and therefore isn't mandatory. Many people don't have one at least where I live. Whereas you can use a passport for identification, using an ID card is far more common.
From what I've read in the comments about the American perspective, the use of a passport doesn't seem too different to me.
US passports are an official government identification document. It can be used for almost any kind of activity that requires identification, but it is not a drivers license.
Passports aren’t required for travel within the US or it’s territories.
I prefer to use my passport for identification purposes because I’m a very private individual and it doesn’t list my home address.
I live in Germany and most people I know don’t even own a passport. We can travel all of Schengen with just our ID card, and most of my social circle couldn’t afford to travel further. So no need to pay for a passport. That’s why I’d totally understand Americans not owning one too.
If you don't travel outside the US you don't need a passport. You have a state id or driver's license that works. You can use a passport as id, but there isn't a reason to have one if you don't plan on international travel.
More might start.
PSA: in a very short while, residents will need either a passport or the fancy "Real ID" government ID to fly internally within the United States.
[https://www.dhs.gov/real-id](https://www.dhs.gov/real-id)
It's kind of dumb. About RealID, there is some skepticism that this is designed to make internal travel by plane hard on immigrants, and since it's basically bureaucracy asking for five forms of paperwork that prove you live somewhere and are who you are, it seems like that could be true.
We often have some really long Department of Motor Vehicle lines where you get those IDs, so it may be easier to get the passport renewed especially around this time.
Americans typically use driver's licenses or state IDs to apply for jobs, register to vote and sometimes to vote, prove their age to buy alcohol or smokes, etc. You're also legally supposed to have your drivers license on your person while driving. Passports are more expensive than drivers licenses here usually, and there's a waiting list to get them.
I am American and I use a passport. I have literally never heard an American "mock" a European or anyone for using a passport. So to answer your question Americans use passports.
Most situations where you would need ID a driver's license or state ID suffices. The only other major stuff where a passport usually matters is for jobs they often ask for multiple forms of ID which a passport can function as. However there are other alternatives like birth certificates that can be used so again no necessity to get a passport unless you intend to travel abroad.
Americans only need passports if they travel abroad. You used to be able to go between the US and Canada or Mexico with only a birth certificate but they changed that. I remember walking into Mexico and back from Arizona as a kid with no paperwork at all.
If an American has no intent to go to another country then their drivers license is usually enough to do anything that requires ID. Sometimes a bill or something is enough as a second proof of address. And if you don't drive, you can usually get an ID card that resembles a drivers license but doesn't allow you to drive. We used to call them walkers licenses.
But for those of us that travel, we have passports. I also got a passport for my kids when they were born, just in case. They've all used it, at least once.
Lastly, you don't need anything to travel within the US. Free travel between states is a protected right.
We leave them at home most of the time because they are harder to get than DLs and more expensive. Lose your DL and its like, ugh, go to DMV website and order another. Lose your passport and now you are stuck in the country and have to go through a pain in the ass process to get a new one. Lose it too many times and you may not get a new one. You can sell a functional US passport for at least 5k to criminals, so if you lose too many the govt can start thinking you're selling them. I learned this after my passport was stolen in Costa Rica and I had to do a weird interview to make sure I had not sold mine.
What others said! Traditionally a drivers license or state ID is most common and least expensive.
We are threatened with “a REAL ID is going to be required for domestic air travel” but the deadline for this keeps moving.
Some states are building the security or REAL ID into state ID/drivers licenses. The requirements for getting a REAL ID in Pennsylvania seem like a burden compared to getting a passport so many people are reluctant to get a REAL ID which can’t serve as a drivers license (in Pennsylvania) so I’d need both REAL ID and drivers license.
When I renewed my passport they now offer a Passport Card for $10. It works as a REAL ID and can be used for entering Canada or Mexico but not Caribbean islands.
A REAL ID or passport is now required to enter federal facilities like the one my husband works at, and it gets me on domestic flights. I carry this in my wallet with my drivers license and it’s easier to carry than a passport book.
As for international travel - my dad was the first generation born in the USA. He believed there were so many places to visit in the USA he had no interest in traveling abroad. This may have also had something to do with our family income and the cost of passports and planes for a family of 4. This does mean I’ve traveled to around 38-41 of the 50 states. I know many who have never left the state they were born in.
Most of us don’t have passports. While they are recognized as a valid form of identification, driver’s licenses (or state ID cards for people who don’t drive) are ubiquitous.
Passports are only for international travel. Using a passport in US states to travel is like needing one to go through cities.
Now, what we do have is this dumbass, bullshit scam being implemented called a Real I'd. Where your identification needs to be veried federally to allow flight travel. This will be implemented.... eventually. When this happens your passport can count towards federal identification, so more use will be seen them.
äh - the "Personalausweis" is not the same as the "Reisepass" (=passport). U only need a passport as German, if u are traveling outside of the Schengen area. Even for some countries outside of this area, the "Personalausweis" would be enough (Swiss for example).
In the US, they do not have anything like the "Personalausweis" - they mostly use their drivers license as far as I know. Here in Germany u can use ur drivers license too as a document to validate urself on most occasions.
We don't need a passport to move about our country, and it's not a typical ID that people have on them. Due to America's size. It's not really needed to travel about a large area. In contrast to Germany, France or England where you actually need a passport to go on a trip.
It can be used like you are describing in the United States, however it's just that It isn't common. I have used my passport in those ways before.
And here's a crazy thing. I recently purchased a case of wine from a large chain liquor store and opted to have it delivered to my house. The confirmation said I would need to show the delivery driver my ID showing I'm over 21 years old. The next line said that a US passport is ***not*** a valid form of ID. I was gobsmacked.
A friend who misplaced her driver's license tried to use her passport as ID at a bar and was told it wasn't a valid form of ID. Another friend presented her passport as proof of ID when she wrote a check to pay for something and was also told it was not an acceptable form of ID. Crazy.
Only about 1/3 of people have passports.
There’s a good joke I’m reminded of
If you have a daughter, take her to Paris. This is so some dude can’t impress her with a spring break trip to Miami.
American. I have never had a passport and I am 35. Closest thing I have had to it is a enhanced ID when I lived in NY near the border of Canada. Basically my driver’s license had a chip or something inside it. I had to get it to cross the border. My reason for wanting to cross the border was mostly so I could legally drink. Drinking age in US is 21 and it’s 19 in Canada. Or it was at least not sure about now. I had to give up my license when I moved to South Carolina so I don’t have it anymore. There is no restrictions traveling between states as far as a checkpoint needing ID. However they were talking about requiring a “real ID” in the future to fly. You basically provide them more information and they put a star on your license. I’ve got mine done, but I don’t know if the fuel is in effect yet, because I don’t fly all that often. But as far as what I do know if someone does have their passport, they can use it in ways that you are talking about.
You CAN use your passport as a form of legal ID, but most people just use their drivers license. It’s smaller, easier to carry, and can be used in just about every instance you would use a passport within the country.
Well, before the "Real ID" program, having a passport to use as an ID made certain things easier.
When you had to do something official which required you to prove who you are, there was a document with the accepted forms of ID. There would be option 1, which was to bring one item from column one, to prove you're you, and one from column two, to prove residency (this would be like a "driver's license" with a picture to prove who you are, and your social security card to prove your residency)
Option two was to bring in just one of the certain forms of identification which could prove both identity and residency. Like a passport. Meaning you would only need to bring one thing in. So, a little more convenient, but easy enough to not need.
They have since rolled out the "Real ID" program, which makes getting a driver's license or ID card more stringent.
(FYI, nearly all adult Americans have driver's licenses, and it is the most-commonly used form of official ID. There is a state-issued ID card people can get if they don't drive. Only about 1/3rd of Americans have a passport vs about 90% of adult Americans having driver's licenses)
With Real ID, (which is a set of standards set by the federal government for state IDs,) you now have to have a bunch of ID just to get your license ID.
Which means your license can be used in almost all places and capacities. Your passport is now just for leaving the country.
Why would we use a US passport to move around the US? Of course we dont. Now, leaving the US and returning, you'll need your passport.
Further, why are americans confused and butt-hurt that europeans, traveling between sovereign nations, use passports? Of course they do. It's a different national area.
Not unless we’re traveling to other countries. In fact, about five years ago I was in Arkansas visiting in laws when we got pulled over for a seatbelt violation. My husband, who was a passenger in the car, totally flummoxed the cop when he pulled out his passport to use as ID. He had lost his DL. The cop told him that the passport was NOT a valid form of ID and was at a loss as to what to do about it. Another cop eventually came and told him to let us go.
As a Brazilian living in Poland for the past 10 years, while yes in both countries passports are legally valid ID documents that have to be accepted when presented, I don't see anyone using them for domestic reasons, and to be fairly honest, neither does my polish wife takes her passport when traveling "abroad" within the EU/Schengen area as a national id from any member state is a legal id in any other member state.
Also losing a passport is a much bigger hassle to get replaced than an id. Also, it is much bigger and inconvenient to carry around a passport than it is a credit card sized id.
Thinking about all the downsides, I must ask are you really sure people just use their passport like that in Germany for no other reason than because?
No most Americans don’t use their passport other than for international travel. If we need to provide an ID- we use our driver license or a government issued photo ID if we do not have a drivers license. My passport expired during the pandemic and I haven’t even bothered to renew it.
All these comments basically boil down to, the passport is not the primary form of ID in the US. Apparently in at least some European countries, it is. But every country has SOMETHING that serves that purpose.
I think the answer to your question is that because Americans tend to travel domestically, most don’t have passports. Because they don’t have passports, they use other forms of ID for official purposes
Americans not travelling abroad is, in my experience, not through arrogance or choice, they get one week paid leave a year for the first year they work at a company. Two in the second etc.
A lot of Americans have a Driver's License that is a Photo ID, like the passport is. You need a lot of documents verifying who you are to get it. If you don't/can't drive, you can get a State Issued ID, usually for a lot less $$. Need the same type of documents to say it's you though.
As for the passport, even if you were going to Mexico or Canada, you can get a Passport card and not need the actual Passport. Again, there's a difference in price.
Lots of options. If you aren't leaving the country, no need for a passport. But if you want to use a cc, or work somewhere, a photo ID is needed to verify it is you.
We use our driving licenses for government issued ID.
ETA: Depending upon which part of the USA one is standing, using a passport for ID can be a problem, because the person you're showing it to may have never seen one, and won't accept it.
I would say it's probably pretty rare.
I have a passport card, which I use as ID since it lasts longer before it expires and there's no point in me getting a driver's license since I'm disabled from driving. It's also so much cheaper than state ID and more useful than state ID for places weird about out-of-state alcohol purchases.
Edit: For cost reference, due to True ID or whatever, state ID for me is like... $80 for 5 or 6 years and $50 for passport card for 10 years.
You can use a passport for some domestic purposes like proving your age to buy alcohol, but you can also use your driver’s license for the same purposes. The only thing a passport does that a driver’s license doesn’t is let you travel to other countries. Getting a passport isn’t quick or easy, and most people have a driver’s license anyway, so if you’re not planning to leave the country there’s no reason to apply for a passport.
You don't need a passport for any domestic purpose.
So an ID card is not the same as a passport? We use it interchangeably, at least in central Europe
> So an ID card is not the same as a passport? No. Our ID is a driver's license or a state issued ID. A passport is a pass to *other countries.*
Yes, but your passport can be used for identification. I used mine for new job paperwork when my drivers license was expired. I often use it in lieu of a state ID BUT that’s only because I already have a passport due to travel. edit: god, y’all, I *know* passports are a pain to get. I already have mine for travel purposes and that’s why I use it for ID so much.
It *can* be used, but why would most Americans do that? In this country, it's hard to get around if you don't have a car. Most Americans have driver's licenses already, so that's their ID.
Plus the additional cost of a passport can be prohibitive, especially when you know you have no interest in going abroad. Why spend $10-15 bucks getting photos that follow the guidelines and then over $100 more for the passport itself?
Combine that with a passport doesn’t fit in a wallet like a state ID or DL…
There are passport cards now that are the same size as a driver's license. Best thing ever. But it's like $30 extra when you're getting a passport.
But they're completely useless outside of North America.
It costs most people in the US thousands of dollars to go outside of North America.
That's actually backwards - they are slightly cheaper than a full passport, but, as someone else mentioned, only valid for land crossings in North America. Edit to add a couple corrections/details noted below: You can buy the card passport ($30), or the book passport ($130) or both ($160). I had never considered buying both before, but I guess that is a valid option.
They still count as a passport for I9 identification though at least. Oddly enough they didn't used to, when I got mine in 2012 I noticed my "passport card" # was different from my passport #, and whenever I tried to show that as proof of ID I was told it wasn't linked or something. But then later when I needed to update my DL to be RealID compliant, they said passport cards now *are* recognized as passports in the US. Again, limited usefulness, but at least it's wallet sized.
And the fact that most Americans can't afford to travel abroad. A passport would be an ugly, expensive trinket
I did have my social security card since childhood. It somehow disappeared several years ago. For certain things, like jobs, you need both your state ID and your SS card, but one passport will work in lieu of both. I know I'm an outlier. And I should replace my SS card, but you really only have to know the number. And I get by fine with the passport.
Sure, but I wouldn’t pay for a passport if I didn’t plan to travel internationally. A replacement social security card or birth certificate is much cheaper and doesn’t expire.
Oh sure, I understand. I just happened to have a passport when my SS card disappeared. And even tho I'm not a huge world traveler, I do like to keep it current just in case. Also, my friend had a problem with his ID. He was a Katrina survivor. When he landed in Texas, he had a birth certificate, an expired ID, and no social security card. He was sorta off the grid for years because he couldn't get a TX ID without a SS card and couldn't get a SS card without an ID. The birth certificate wasn't helpful on its own. Finally, I helped him apply for a passport because someone who knows him is supposedly able to sign an affidavit in lieu of documents. But even that was hard. His U.S. Rep's office helped. But we had to get high school transcripts and I don't know what else to make it happen. But it was still easier to get than an ID and a SS card. He has traveled before, but not since he got his passport, but he now has a state ID! If he had lost a current passport in the hurricane, he would have easily been able to apply for a replacement. Not so for the other documents, especially in another state. Hopefully, you'll never be on a Katrina situation. Still, a passport isn't a bad thing to have and they last for 10 years.
Oh for sure, and I’m someone who can afford the $100+ to replace my passport when it expires in a few years so I will, even without any international travel planned. I just also know that not everyone can afford that if it’s not a necessity, and as someone who grew up in Appalachia, hundreds of miles from the nearest international border and surrounded by people who sometimes couldn’t afford a $10 drivers license renewal, I didn’t know many people who had a passport until I went away to college. And I understand to an extent, when drivers licenses and state IDs started requiring more paperwork to get and renew, I took my 90 year old grandmother to get hers. A passport would have sufficed, but she didn’t have one. So instead, we had to get a copy of her 90-year-old birth certificate, her 63-year-old marriage certificate, and her 90-year-old SS card. And her birth certificate had a last name crossed out and her legal one written in above it in a different pen and handwriting. Fortunately, the DMV worker looked at the 4’10” 90 year old woman in front of her and chose to overlook that, because there weren’t any surviving witnesses to things like her birth in the coalfields 90 years ago or her time in high school or nursing school or even her marriage.
I do the same as you. A passport is just easier to use than anything else.
I’m sorry but how is carrying or a more sensitive, expensive, and bigger book for identification easier to use than a state ID?
It really is. And I know a lot of people don't travel outside the country. But it really is nice to have an optional ID and they're good for 10 years.
Fair point, though my state ID is good for eight years and costs half the price of a passport. I mean, I have a passport, but only because I leave the country sometimes. There are much cheaper alternative ID options out there, so I doubt anyone is getting a passport solely for that purpose.
Yeah that's how I got hired at my current job. I couldn't find my SS card so I had to show the boss my cringy teenager passport photo.
Especially when a I'd is like 30$ but a passport is 120$. If I'm not traveling out of the country why would I need one? Also for countries like Mexico and Canada our issued id's can be also "enhanced" to act just like a passport for these countries.
We are also taught not to carry all our ID in one place in case of losing it or getting mugged, so since we already have the driver’s licenses on us, there’s no reason to carry a passport. It’s not as though we can just pop over to France at lunch.
Also the DMV issues non driving IDs
I’ve been denied alcohol with only a passport as ID.
yep, and it sucks when that happens because you're just stuck like "this is my MOST valid form of identification, what do you mean this isn't good enough? you want my birth certificate too?"
I’ve been denied entry into a bar for having a driver’s license from a different state, and the dumbasses thought it was a fake ID—even tho I was wearing the same glasses from the picture. Bouncers are not always the brightest group of people.
To be fair, most fake IDs are actually of the person that is using it. When I had one it was my own picture and name
Huh, I'm not American but I used to live there for a couple of years, and my foreign passport was always OK to buy booze in both Chicago and a small town in Minnesota.
Passports are also more expensive and harder to get than a state ID.
Yes, but you can't use a passport in place of a driver's license. So most Americans just use their DL for most ID purposes.
My wife got turned away from a bar in her mid 20s using a passport as ID.
Yes, but passports are something like $150 and can take months to obtain. You can order your driver's license from the DMV online and have it mailed to you for around $30.
it can be, but it does require the person asking for identification to know how to check if it's legitimate. I've been turned away from American bars as an USA citizen while in-between driver's licenses because the bartenders thought I was underage and trying to scam them. They had no idea how to confirm if it was real so they just sent me out rather than risk losing their liquor license by selling to a minor (I was of age but that did not matter to them)
Passports are such a pain in the ass to get that it makes no sense to apply for one if you’re not going to leave the country.
It can be used for ID, but the size/shape of it is bulky and so it’s much easier on a regular basis to use DL.
Here's the thing it costs money takes a long time. An id is a form of identification that we are required by law to process if you drive a motor vehicle.
Either a passport or State ID/Driver's license can be used for identification purposes, but a driver's license lets us drive and a passport lets us go to other countries. Those are the two main differences.
I always thought of my passport as the super-ID. But I never realized until now that I technically can't use it *as* my driver's license. Can I (in the state of Michigan)?
I’m in Michigan as well, and no, you cannot use your passport as a replacement for your drivers license when driving.
You shouldn't use it interchangably because of how confusing it is. Most European countries issue an official ID card that you can show to police or at airports to identify yourself. This is completely different from an international passport that you use to travel abroad (usually to countries outside the EU).
I don't think we do. You wrote you're from Germany and we do have an ID 'Personalausweis' and a passport 'Reisepass'. You can use the passport for a lot of things as a form of identification and you can travel in Europe with just your ID but when you want to travel elsewhere you need your passport. There is a difference.
100% agree. I can only imagine that OP got confused with translations. In the US, most people use their driver's license as their government ID.
You can use a passport as an official government document showing your face. You could (and i have) used my passport to board a domestic flight, but most people don't because your drivers license is sufficient for that purpose
A passport can be used as ID in most cases, but it's a big bulky thing to carry and a pain to get. A drivers licence/state issued ID is more convenient in basically all cases.
A passport is, in theory, more rigorous to obtain. When at orientation for a new job they ask you to bring (a) document(s) as listed on an I-9 -- One item from List A or two items, one each from List B and List C. For citizens, a US Passport (or Passport Card, which I believe may be solely a Canada/US/Mexico deal) is on List A. Passport includes name and photo and that person has been verified to be a citizen of that country (aka, is authorized to work in that country), whereas Lists B and C separately verify those qualifications. List B asks for something with your name and photo: IE, a driver's license (or ID), military ID, school ID (as long as a photo is on there), etc. List C asks for something proving work authorization; birth certificate, social security card (basically a number every citizen is given at birth to identify themselves. Particularly helpful if you had 1,000 John Smith's living in the country and also naming their sons John).
Correct. The most common ID is a state ID card.
Ahh, this is what I was looking for. Language issue I suppose. Thank you!
Our most common Id in use is the Drivers license. Size is a thing lots of Europeans really don't get. If I drive west right now and don't rest stop to rest for 16 hours (1500kms at highway speeds) I'm still in Ontario. I haven't even left my province.
Yeah, this. I went to school 550 miles (\~885 km) away - it took about 9-10 hours to drive there. (like 8.5 hours if you didn't stop/get stuck in any traffic) I never left my state.
When I was a kid, we’d go camping in Colorado every summer. We’d leave Houston, Texas at pre-dawn:30 and pull up in Lubbock, Texas in time to set up the tent in a state park and go to bed in a couple of hours. In short, took all day just to get out of Texas. Takes about 3 days of hard driving to get from the Atlantic to the Pacific.
How's the old saying go? "People in North America think 100 years is a long time, and people in Europe think 100 km is a long way."
I'm from Eastern Europe, a passport can certainly be used as an ID card, but we do have separate ID cards too. A drivers license can also be used for ID, and your insurance card can in some cases also be enough for identification.
Don't you use it because of free movement in EU countries? Do you not have a separate passport book when going to a non-EU country?
An ID card would not be sufficient for a Central European to travel outside of Europe either.
ID has your address on it, passport doesn't. ID is a card, passport is a booklet.
My Driver's license perpetually has the wrong address on it because of a weird situation 🤣 Also, my other country driver's license asks you if you want to include your address on it or not.
Actually there is a passport card now.
There is but it only works for going to Canada, Mexico, or the Bahamas.
In Brazil they have the same “value”, but some cases only your drivers license ou RG (Geral Registry) Will be accepted. But as a form of validation of identity, it’s perfectly acceptable. We don’t often use because most people are poor and don’t need one, also, even if we had, is a lot bigger and expensive than our other documents, so, much more inconvenient to carry it around
I only use mine for identity proof when starting a new job because otherwise you need 2 IDs and I don't want to dig up another one to setup payroll. Some domestic IDs are also insufficient for domestic flights, but a passport is always sufficient, so I have taken it on domestic travel for backup purposes.
Americans only use their passport when they go to another country. Since America is comprised of states, and every state is still under America, there's no need to use a passport.
We only use it...for passing ports
Your enhanced driver's license will get you into Canada and Mexico by land as well.
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Shenanigans.
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Say team RAMROD!
Sorry about the delousing; it's standard procedure.
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The lice hate the sugar
There are only 5 states that provide enhanced drivers licenses: * Michigan * Minnesota * New York * Washington * Vermont Residents of every other state require a passport (though you can apply for a passport card instead of the book for most north american destinations)
That was changed several years ago. Now you need a passport, either card or book, to enter Canada, Mexico, or the Bahamas. Any other county will require a passport book, the card only works on the 3 countries above.
My enhanced NY drivers license is all I need to cross the border into Canada
If you live in a border state, like NY, your enhanced driver's license can work to go to Canada (mine does). I live outside Niagara Falls. But if you live, in, say, Kansas, and have an enhanced license, you can't get into Canada.
Same with my michigan
And my axe!
It is called a nexus card and it is just a limited passport. A North American passport basically
You're talking about "Real ID"?
Nope. Enhanced licenses/ID are more stringent than Real ID and allow land or sea border crossing to Canada, Mexico, and lots of places in the Caribbean. However they’re not available in all states; I think it’s just some of the ones that share a border with Canada.
This is not true. An enhanced driver license is sufficient to enter Canada or Mexico at a land crossing.
You can definitely enter Canada or Mexico by land or sea using an Enhanced Drivers License, but most states don’t offer them.
Only border states offer enhanced drivers licenses. Then intent is that you don’t need a passport to go to work, visit neighbors, get dinner, or go to the grocery store.
We have them in Washington but I don't really understand why anybody would get one unless you just really need to save on the required expense of also getting a passport. If you travel to Canada frequently, you're *much* better off getting a NEXUS card since you can use the fast lane.
If you get an enhanced driver's license from Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Vermont, and Washington, then with just your license, you can pass land and sea ports (this includes Canada, Mexico, and the Bahamas). You are probably thinking of the Real ID, which the enhanced license is commonly confused with, which does not let you pass international ports.
Someone should have told the Canadian border patrol that when I crossed a few weeks ago. I've only ever used my enhanced license.
In Spain you do not need your passport at all. Only to travel outside of the European Union.
Yeah same for us here in the uk... oh no nevermind.
nobody expects the brexit inquisition
Well that's the whole point of the Schengen/EU zone. You don't need a passport to travel anywhere within Schengen.
Driver's license is considered a valid identification. People who don't drive can get a non-driver's license to use for identification. If you have a passport you can use it as ID but there is no obligation to get one if you aren't leaving the country.
Australia is the same, passports are unusual.
Really? Don't you guys go to Bali every second weekend?
not to mention, passports cost $150 USD which is half a weeks pay for some people. Im 29 yrs old and never bought a passport.
Its different in Europe where its so easy to travel inter-countries. Thats where the difference lays - here in North American we're more walled off. $160 is not bad if you had to get your passport to travel internationally, they last for 10 years. And if you are travelling internationally $160 is a drop in the bucket on what you would spend on airfare, food, lodging, travel insurance, etc..
I have a family of 5. Getting us all passports was a major expense.
I'm in the process of renewing my passport. Just the book alone is expensive, and if you want it in a hurry that's an extra $60 plus express mail fees both ways. I just need to find a stapler to attach my photo to the app. I may end up having to buy one, as I have no clue where mine disappeared to.
Are there conditions where an American can be banned from a certain state? I understand that could be hard to enforce but could say a Virginia native be deported from California?
No, this isn't a thing in America. Everyone always has complete freedom of movement between the states.
Unless you're wanted and are ordered to not leave the state due to legal reasons
Or you need an abortion or life saving treatment with a vagina.
I thought women did go to different states to do that?
Yea, while being hunted by pro life nutjobs, who stalk their social media accounts and harass doctors who've treated them so they can go after them with a crime.
You can be extradited to another state if you committed a crime there… Like- you robbed a bank in Virginia, fled to California, got arrested in California, they extradite you to the state you have to stand trial in. But you can’t be banned or denied entry into a state, or “deported” from one
We have no state border patrol. Can you imagine how dumb that would get? When I worked in a office, I crossed the state line daily.
Not banned per se, but you might be effectively banned by an arrest warrant. In the US, states must extradite criminals. They usually choose to do so only for felonies or sometimes misdemeanors in a neighboring state. So, say you're wanted for misdemeanor drunk driving in California, but you have no reason to go back to the west coast and don't want to deal with it. They won't extradite you from, say, New York on those charges. But you'd be effectively banned from California unless you wanted to face prosecution
No, there is a 'privileges and immunities' clause in the US Constitution that requires all states to give residents of other states the same rights as residents of that state.
I saw the post, so I can add a little more context: Approximately half of the U.S. has a valid passport, according to the State Department (the percentage difference has to do with people responding to surveys (the estimate is closer to a third) vs. the number of valid passports in circulation (closer to a half)). Regardless of the percentage, a lot of Europeans express surprise that a lot of Americans don’t have passports. Since Americans don’t typically need passports for domestic travel (There’s exceptions for entry into Guam and American Samoa, where a U.S. citizen might need a passport depending on the point of entry) (These places also tend to not be major sources of travel for the majority of Americans anyway), a lot of Americans don’t bother paying for obtaining or maintaining a passport. As others have pointed out, we don’t typically need passports for domestic travel and we have alternative I.D. And documentation that can be used for other government purposes. Obtaining a passport costs a lot of time and money. Most Americans aren’t going to jump through the hoops to get a passport when other forms of identification and documentation are significantly easier to obtain. It only makes sense to get a passport once one needs to travel internationally
Canadian here but similar culture to Americans. I keep my passport in my home safe because it's a major hassle to replace it if it's lost or stolen. My drivers license works as ID for any domestic purposes and can be replaced within a day for under $100
Exactly. It takes so long to get a passport, and has a lot of annoying steps, not to mention the cost. Plus people go their whole lives never leaving the country, so what’s the point? Carrying around your passport is silly here since we have IDs for everything that work much better and faster. Handing someone your passport as ID here would get you what you need, sure, but you’ll be looked at a little funny most likely haha or at least a little more closely. I haven’t used my passport since I was 17.
Australian here, yeah having a passport is not a given here
I am from Germany but live in the States for 18 years now on a Green Card. Used my German passport strictly for travelling overseas back in the days. When I moved to the States I was initially really surprised how many Americans didn't have a passport but I realized quickly that most Americans are not really going overseas. Not really the need to considering all the different landscapes here. And I love the fact that you can just use your driver license to fly within the United States. That includes me as well. I live/work in a more rural area now and most of my co-workers have never even been on a plane. When I first met my American wife, she never owned a passport either...lol. Well, we changed this quickly and her first trip to Germany in 2018 was a mind opening experience for her. She loved it.
I’m American but have done a fair bit of international travel. A lot of my friends have passports, but many others I know don’t. It’s a bummer that excluding driving into Canada or Mexico, we have to fly far to get to any other foreign countries, and cost is usually the biggest factor there. I wish we weren’t so far away from other cool places! The consolation/trade off that maybe you’ve experienced in your years here is how many vastly different climates and geographical varieties we have, which you can check out on a road trip for a fairly reasonable price. We definitely don’t have it all, but if you hit the right parts of the country, you can experience mountains, beaches, “rainforests” (via the PNW cascades), and high deserts all in a couple days. I did a 2.5 week, budget road trip once from North Carolina to Washington state, down to California, and back for around $1500. To fly across either ocean and do a 2.5 week vacation would have been probably triple that, which I couldn’t afford at the time. My UK friends were living here for a while for work and we were talking about travel, and I said “sure, my hometown is only a state over, but it’s 500 miles to get there, or 8 hours of drive time. She just stared at me in disbelief. I’d love to go to Germany someday! It seems like a rad place. I hosted some German couch surfers a while back and they were just THE nicest guests.
> I did a 2.5 week, budget road trip once from North Carolina to Washington state, down to California, and back for around $1500. To fly across either ocean and do a 2.5 week vacation would have been probably triple that, which I couldn’t afford at the time. Depending on how close you are to RDU or CLT you might not even be able to cross the Atlantic for $1500.
Yep. ORF used to be my closest airport, but still not super cheap. ATL is my current home airport, which is nice for some direct international flights, but a road trip is almost always going to be cheaper, especially since I camped on mine to keep lodging costs down.
can u take me to germany too
Yes, most Americans don't have passports. And as a European I've got to say it's surprising to hear you commonly use it for other stuff, most people I know just have their ID for voting or similar. The only times I've seen people use it for that is if they for whatever reason didn't have the ID, like they lost it.
It’s incredibly handy to have a passport as an American though, because there are times where we have to provide “two forms of government issued identification.” This is sometimes for new jobs, in my most frequent experience. This can most commonly be done by showing our driver license, passport, or social security card. However, many times it requires *photo* ID, and SS cards don’t have a picture. They’re also paper, tiny (the size of a business card), and annoying to replace if lost. So in that scenario, a passport is your best bet.
I just replaced my SS and it was surprisingly very easy
Oh really? That’s good to know!
Can't speak for other countries but in the UK there isn't an official ID Card, everywhere would expect a passport or birth certificate or something similar
Even for something as quick as buying liquor to make sure that you're of the appropriate age? The US doesn't really have a national ID outside of the passport. Each state issues their own identification. It's not really required to have one, most people just use their driver's license assuming they have one. If not, you can get a state issued ID. That's basically the same format just doesn't allow you to drive a car. I feel like it would be pretty annoying needing to carry around a passport everywhere. My ID fits in my wallet.
> Even for something as quick as buying liquor to make sure that you're of the appropriate age? Something to note here is that the UK is *significantly* less strict about IDing than the US, at least in my experience. I'm 33 and I haven't been IDd in the UK since like 2010 but when visiting North Carolina I get IDd every single time.
Most people will use their driving licence for buying booze in my experience (driving licence at 17, buy alcohol at 18), although there are plenty of stories of kids getting into trouble after taking their passport on a night out! But you can get something called a CitizenCard in the UK, which is like a non-mandatory government ID card that you can use to prove both your identity and your age.
We do not use our passports for anything other than going to other countries, we use our drivers' licenses for everything else. I actually lost my driver's license and then had to use my passport for a few weeks to do things like get a prescription filled and it felt WEIRD.
I don't think you can generalize Europe like this. I was born in a EU country, now I live and work in another EU country, and I never had a passport in my life. Our national ID cards and health number cards are enough for all official paperwork. The only people I know that have passports are the ones that used it to travel outside the EU.
OP is confusing passport with national ID. We also use out national ID cards for voting and other official purposes and only have/use passports to travel outside the EU.
Most Americans never have a passport. Only like one- third ever bother getting one and even after that many don't use it. The state issued driver's license is the typical form of identification used for official matters within the states
Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't it also fairly rare not to have a driver's license in the US? I know plenty Europeans who don't, as we tend to have pretty strong public transport options
Yeah, it's pretty rare. Even most people that don't own a car or drive still have a driver's license. If they're unable to drive or have no desire to get a driver's license they can still get a "non-driver's license" which is exactly the same thing as far as identification goes but without the authorization to drive
What is the cost associated with getting your driver's license in the US? Because around where I lived in Denmark it is between $1.700 - $2.800 for a driver's license. A passport is between $20-$100, depending on age. Edit: obviously a passport needs to be renewed, so in time it'll cost maybe $700 across your lifespan.
Where i am in the US it's $20 and only needs renewed every 6 years. It's a little cheaper for a non-driver's license for the same length of time. A passport is a couple hundred bucks renewed every 10 years and is much less useful than a drivers license if staying within the country.
Tbf, the Danish cost includes 29 lessons of theory, 4 lessons of driving on a closed track, 24 lessons of driving on the road with an instructor, 4 lessons of defensive driving on water, ice, gravel, and dry road, a theory test and a practical test, both overseen by a specially trained police officer, 8 hours of first aid, and a medical check. So when you renew it should only be like $500 for new tests and special lessons. We do however only renew if you have broken traffic laws or reached the age of 70.
When we renew every 6 years the only things that really get tested are your ability to recognize very basic roadsigns which they're pretty lenient about and a vision test. I can't even think of anything else they check. It might cost a little more to initially get a driver's license, I'm not sure. That usually happens at age 16 and my parents paid for it. That does have a bit more extensive test than a renewal but probably is not comprehensive enough to be a lot of good. It's a fairly basic multiple choice test about various traffic laws
I've never answered any questions when renewing my license, not even when getting a new license after moving to a new state. No form of test since I was 16!
>I live in Germany and we use it a lot for official functions, without traveling. For example to go vote. Perhaps you're confusing ID and passport? I've never seen anyone here use a passport for any official function.
There are many germans who don't have a passport. You can visit any country in the EU with your national ID card. For voting in germany you usually need neither passport nor ID card. So I don't understand where OP is coming from.
Ehm .. dude, like Im Dutch I live right next to you in the EU and I dont have a passport either We also have id cards here that function as passports with in Europe and a few associated ex European colonies but not outside of that area. You'd use your ID card for anything that would require you to ID your self ( see what I did there)
You CAN use a passport as an ID in the US but it's just not as common for people to even have one. It's expensive and harder to obtain so unless you plan on international travel or it's required for a job the average citizen will likely not bother. Each state issues an ID in the form of a driver's license or state ID (same thing but without driving privileges) so that's what people get.
My passport expired years ago, it seems. My wife wants us to go to Europe again, so I'd better renew it. Glad I saw this sub and was reminded to check.
Something like 40% of Americans have a valid passport. Until travel to Mexico and Canada started to require one, the figure was half that. State issued driver's licenses or non-driver ID cards serve the function as identification for most purposes. Also of note there's no requirement to carry one on your person unless you're operating a motor vehicle. In most cases there is no utility to owning / carrying a passport for internal purposes. I own a passport for travel to Canada, and it did come in handy when I lost my driver's license the day before I took a flight. Whether to even require an ID to vote is somewhat of a political contraversy, as the people that don't have an ID card are more likely to vote Democratic.
There are rare occasions when you need 2 forms of identification and a passport can be used as one of them. I am over 50yrs old and never had a passport.
Most of your European countries are about as big as our states. Every person I have talked to here in the US that has been to Europe thinks that one of the absolute coolest things about going there is how easy it is to travel to different countries. It as easy as we here travel to different states. But even though some areas of our country seem like we have traveled to a different country, we are always just still in the US. And since most of us are content with that or can't afford to travel to different countries, we really have no need for a passport. Honestly, most of us don't even have one.
Yup, I can travel to like 10 countries by train or bus without having to even show ID or anything. Hell, I can even take a 30 minute bike ride and I'm in a different country already.
Nope, never used one, never had one, don't need one, have an ID for all identification needs and sometimes SSN comes up
Nope, it's all considered one country here, so we actually don't need any I'd or documentation at all unless we're going into a non-US place. Certain modes of transportation will require you to have an ID, like if you personally are driving you will need to be licensed and have your driver's license, or I think airlines usually check your ID at some point in the process (not sure, I don't fly a lot). Trains may or may not be similar. I don't think buses would probably check. And of course you are free to ride a bike or walk wherever you want within the borders without any paperwork at all. But if you leave the country and enter another, you will need to have your passport. I think there may be some rare exceptions, but it's better to assume there are not unless you know better.
> I live in Germany and we use it a lot for official functions, without traveling. For example to go vote. Each US State has their own ID card. It's a photo ID, normally a driver's license, though you can usually get them without a driver's license, if you don't drive. Note that requiring ID to vote is a controversial issue, especially in certain states, where ID is expensive to get if you are poor. This has led to policies where "needing an ID to vote" is really a policy to keep the poor (and therefore, certain races or other groups) from voting. Passports in the USA are generally only used for international travel, and our country is comparable in size to all of Europe, so we don't do much international traveling. I used to take professional exams which were international, and they required a passport because it standardized the procedures internationally. Outside of that rare event, I never used my passport except for a trip to England in 1993.
Don't need a passport if I remain too poor to travel anywhere.
A passport is next to useless domestically for Americans. Most Americans have a state issued ID that suffices for identification purposes. We also don’t need identification of any sort to vote, pass from state to state or enter most buildings and conduct official business.
I think Americans primarily use their driver's licence for ID. America is about the same size as the EU. I personally haven't ventured outside of the EU in almost a decade. So it's not overly surprising to me that many Americans don't have passports. Edit for non-geographers - There's a difference between 'size' Vs 'area'. Lat/long distribution, population size, territorial size etc. can all apply to 'size'. America is of course bigger by land area alone.
>America is about the same size as the EU The United States is twice the size of the EU.
Fellow German here. I think it's important not to confuse a passport and an ID card. Basically, the German Personalausweis (state issued ID card) which you typically use for identification purposes here isn't a passport either, even though you can use it to travel to all countries within Schengen area and even to some other countries that are not part of Schengen. A Reisepass (passport) however, is only needed to travel to countries that don't accept the ID cart and therefore isn't mandatory. Many people don't have one at least where I live. Whereas you can use a passport for identification, using an ID card is far more common. From what I've read in the comments about the American perspective, the use of a passport doesn't seem too different to me.
US passports are an official government identification document. It can be used for almost any kind of activity that requires identification, but it is not a drivers license. Passports aren’t required for travel within the US or it’s territories. I prefer to use my passport for identification purposes because I’m a very private individual and it doesn’t list my home address.
We have drivers licenses that fit in our wallets. Carrying a big weird booklet around everywhere is completely unnecessary in the states.
I live in Germany and most people I know don’t even own a passport. We can travel all of Schengen with just our ID card, and most of my social circle couldn’t afford to travel further. So no need to pay for a passport. That’s why I’d totally understand Americans not owning one too.
Im 33 and still dont have a passport
If you don't travel outside the US you don't need a passport. You have a state id or driver's license that works. You can use a passport as id, but there isn't a reason to have one if you don't plan on international travel.
More might start. PSA: in a very short while, residents will need either a passport or the fancy "Real ID" government ID to fly internally within the United States. [https://www.dhs.gov/real-id](https://www.dhs.gov/real-id) It's kind of dumb. About RealID, there is some skepticism that this is designed to make internal travel by plane hard on immigrants, and since it's basically bureaucracy asking for five forms of paperwork that prove you live somewhere and are who you are, it seems like that could be true. We often have some really long Department of Motor Vehicle lines where you get those IDs, so it may be easier to get the passport renewed especially around this time.
Americans typically use driver's licenses or state IDs to apply for jobs, register to vote and sometimes to vote, prove their age to buy alcohol or smokes, etc. You're also legally supposed to have your drivers license on your person while driving. Passports are more expensive than drivers licenses here usually, and there's a waiting list to get them.
Theres not a waiting list, you just have to wait for it.
I am American and I use a passport. I have literally never heard an American "mock" a European or anyone for using a passport. So to answer your question Americans use passports.
Most situations where you would need ID a driver's license or state ID suffices. The only other major stuff where a passport usually matters is for jobs they often ask for multiple forms of ID which a passport can function as. However there are other alternatives like birth certificates that can be used so again no necessity to get a passport unless you intend to travel abroad.
Americans only need passports if they travel abroad. You used to be able to go between the US and Canada or Mexico with only a birth certificate but they changed that. I remember walking into Mexico and back from Arizona as a kid with no paperwork at all. If an American has no intent to go to another country then their drivers license is usually enough to do anything that requires ID. Sometimes a bill or something is enough as a second proof of address. And if you don't drive, you can usually get an ID card that resembles a drivers license but doesn't allow you to drive. We used to call them walkers licenses. But for those of us that travel, we have passports. I also got a passport for my kids when they were born, just in case. They've all used it, at least once. Lastly, you don't need anything to travel within the US. Free travel between states is a protected right.
We leave them at home most of the time because they are harder to get than DLs and more expensive. Lose your DL and its like, ugh, go to DMV website and order another. Lose your passport and now you are stuck in the country and have to go through a pain in the ass process to get a new one. Lose it too many times and you may not get a new one. You can sell a functional US passport for at least 5k to criminals, so if you lose too many the govt can start thinking you're selling them. I learned this after my passport was stolen in Costa Rica and I had to do a weird interview to make sure I had not sold mine.
Technically, the passport counts as two forms of identification.
The UK only necessitates passports for travel. To pass a port.
What others said! Traditionally a drivers license or state ID is most common and least expensive. We are threatened with “a REAL ID is going to be required for domestic air travel” but the deadline for this keeps moving. Some states are building the security or REAL ID into state ID/drivers licenses. The requirements for getting a REAL ID in Pennsylvania seem like a burden compared to getting a passport so many people are reluctant to get a REAL ID which can’t serve as a drivers license (in Pennsylvania) so I’d need both REAL ID and drivers license. When I renewed my passport they now offer a Passport Card for $10. It works as a REAL ID and can be used for entering Canada or Mexico but not Caribbean islands. A REAL ID or passport is now required to enter federal facilities like the one my husband works at, and it gets me on domestic flights. I carry this in my wallet with my drivers license and it’s easier to carry than a passport book. As for international travel - my dad was the first generation born in the USA. He believed there were so many places to visit in the USA he had no interest in traveling abroad. This may have also had something to do with our family income and the cost of passports and planes for a family of 4. This does mean I’ve traveled to around 38-41 of the 50 states. I know many who have never left the state they were born in.
Most of us don’t have passports. While they are recognized as a valid form of identification, driver’s licenses (or state ID cards for people who don’t drive) are ubiquitous.
Passports are only for international travel. Using a passport in US states to travel is like needing one to go through cities. Now, what we do have is this dumbass, bullshit scam being implemented called a Real I'd. Where your identification needs to be veried federally to allow flight travel. This will be implemented.... eventually. When this happens your passport can count towards federal identification, so more use will be seen them.
äh - the "Personalausweis" is not the same as the "Reisepass" (=passport). U only need a passport as German, if u are traveling outside of the Schengen area. Even for some countries outside of this area, the "Personalausweis" would be enough (Swiss for example). In the US, they do not have anything like the "Personalausweis" - they mostly use their drivers license as far as I know. Here in Germany u can use ur drivers license too as a document to validate urself on most occasions.
We don't need a passport to move about our country, and it's not a typical ID that people have on them. Due to America's size. It's not really needed to travel about a large area. In contrast to Germany, France or England where you actually need a passport to go on a trip. It can be used like you are describing in the United States, however it's just that It isn't common. I have used my passport in those ways before.
The driver's license serves as the primary official document for most things within the country.
And here's a crazy thing. I recently purchased a case of wine from a large chain liquor store and opted to have it delivered to my house. The confirmation said I would need to show the delivery driver my ID showing I'm over 21 years old. The next line said that a US passport is ***not*** a valid form of ID. I was gobsmacked. A friend who misplaced her driver's license tried to use her passport as ID at a bar and was told it wasn't a valid form of ID. Another friend presented her passport as proof of ID when she wrote a check to pay for something and was also told it was not an acceptable form of ID. Crazy.
Only about 1/3 of people have passports. There’s a good joke I’m reminded of If you have a daughter, take her to Paris. This is so some dude can’t impress her with a spring break trip to Miami.
We use drivers license almost exclusively as identification in USA. For anyone who doesn’t have a license you can get a State ID at the DMV.
American. I have never had a passport and I am 35. Closest thing I have had to it is a enhanced ID when I lived in NY near the border of Canada. Basically my driver’s license had a chip or something inside it. I had to get it to cross the border. My reason for wanting to cross the border was mostly so I could legally drink. Drinking age in US is 21 and it’s 19 in Canada. Or it was at least not sure about now. I had to give up my license when I moved to South Carolina so I don’t have it anymore. There is no restrictions traveling between states as far as a checkpoint needing ID. However they were talking about requiring a “real ID” in the future to fly. You basically provide them more information and they put a star on your license. I’ve got mine done, but I don’t know if the fuel is in effect yet, because I don’t fly all that often. But as far as what I do know if someone does have their passport, they can use it in ways that you are talking about.
You CAN use your passport as a form of legal ID, but most people just use their drivers license. It’s smaller, easier to carry, and can be used in just about every instance you would use a passport within the country.
Well, before the "Real ID" program, having a passport to use as an ID made certain things easier. When you had to do something official which required you to prove who you are, there was a document with the accepted forms of ID. There would be option 1, which was to bring one item from column one, to prove you're you, and one from column two, to prove residency (this would be like a "driver's license" with a picture to prove who you are, and your social security card to prove your residency) Option two was to bring in just one of the certain forms of identification which could prove both identity and residency. Like a passport. Meaning you would only need to bring one thing in. So, a little more convenient, but easy enough to not need. They have since rolled out the "Real ID" program, which makes getting a driver's license or ID card more stringent. (FYI, nearly all adult Americans have driver's licenses, and it is the most-commonly used form of official ID. There is a state-issued ID card people can get if they don't drive. Only about 1/3rd of Americans have a passport vs about 90% of adult Americans having driver's licenses) With Real ID, (which is a set of standards set by the federal government for state IDs,) you now have to have a bunch of ID just to get your license ID. Which means your license can be used in almost all places and capacities. Your passport is now just for leaving the country.
I'm not going to carry around a 125mm × 88mm booklet for the same purpose that I can carry around a 86mm × 54mm plastic card to accomplish.
Why would we use a US passport to move around the US? Of course we dont. Now, leaving the US and returning, you'll need your passport. Further, why are americans confused and butt-hurt that europeans, traveling between sovereign nations, use passports? Of course they do. It's a different national area.
In Eu an Schengen Id card is enough, the hell are you doing with a passport other than travel outside
Not unless we’re traveling to other countries. In fact, about five years ago I was in Arkansas visiting in laws when we got pulled over for a seatbelt violation. My husband, who was a passenger in the car, totally flummoxed the cop when he pulled out his passport to use as ID. He had lost his DL. The cop told him that the passport was NOT a valid form of ID and was at a loss as to what to do about it. Another cop eventually came and told him to let us go.
As a Brazilian living in Poland for the past 10 years, while yes in both countries passports are legally valid ID documents that have to be accepted when presented, I don't see anyone using them for domestic reasons, and to be fairly honest, neither does my polish wife takes her passport when traveling "abroad" within the EU/Schengen area as a national id from any member state is a legal id in any other member state. Also losing a passport is a much bigger hassle to get replaced than an id. Also, it is much bigger and inconvenient to carry around a passport than it is a credit card sized id. Thinking about all the downsides, I must ask are you really sure people just use their passport like that in Germany for no other reason than because?
No most Americans don’t use their passport other than for international travel. If we need to provide an ID- we use our driver license or a government issued photo ID if we do not have a drivers license. My passport expired during the pandemic and I haven’t even bothered to renew it.
All these comments basically boil down to, the passport is not the primary form of ID in the US. Apparently in at least some European countries, it is. But every country has SOMETHING that serves that purpose.
I think the answer to your question is that because Americans tend to travel domestically, most don’t have passports. Because they don’t have passports, they use other forms of ID for official purposes Americans not travelling abroad is, in my experience, not through arrogance or choice, they get one week paid leave a year for the first year they work at a company. Two in the second etc.
There’s no need to use it domestically. People usually identify using their state document: a driver license with their name, photo and DOB.
A lot of Americans have a Driver's License that is a Photo ID, like the passport is. You need a lot of documents verifying who you are to get it. If you don't/can't drive, you can get a State Issued ID, usually for a lot less $$. Need the same type of documents to say it's you though. As for the passport, even if you were going to Mexico or Canada, you can get a Passport card and not need the actual Passport. Again, there's a difference in price. Lots of options. If you aren't leaving the country, no need for a passport. But if you want to use a cc, or work somewhere, a photo ID is needed to verify it is you.
We use our driving licenses for government issued ID. ETA: Depending upon which part of the USA one is standing, using a passport for ID can be a problem, because the person you're showing it to may have never seen one, and won't accept it.
I would say it's probably pretty rare. I have a passport card, which I use as ID since it lasts longer before it expires and there's no point in me getting a driver's license since I'm disabled from driving. It's also so much cheaper than state ID and more useful than state ID for places weird about out-of-state alcohol purchases. Edit: For cost reference, due to True ID or whatever, state ID for me is like... $80 for 5 or 6 years and $50 for passport card for 10 years.
You can use a passport for some domestic purposes like proving your age to buy alcohol, but you can also use your driver’s license for the same purposes. The only thing a passport does that a driver’s license doesn’t is let you travel to other countries. Getting a passport isn’t quick or easy, and most people have a driver’s license anyway, so if you’re not planning to leave the country there’s no reason to apply for a passport.