Are there special rules for children, seniors, or noncitizens using passports for domestic travel?
Executive summary
Children, seniors and noncitizens face different practical rules when using passports or other IDs for U.S. domestic travel: children under 18 generally do not need to show ID at TSA checkpoints when traveling with a companion [1], adults 18+ must present an acceptable ID — including a passport or passport card as alternatives to REAL ID [2] [3] — and noncitizens often must present passports and appropriate visa or entry documents when traveling domestically [4]. Beginning May 7, 2025, non‑REAL‑ID state driver licenses are no longer accepted at airports, but a passport remains an accepted alternative [2] [5].
1. Children: no routine ID, but airline policies still matter
TSA’s published guidance says children under 18 are not required to provide identification when traveling within the United States if they are traveling with a companion who has acceptable ID [1]. Airlines and individual carriers set their own rules for unaccompanied minors and for verifying ages for discounts or lap‑seat rules; those airline policies are not detailed in the TSA page and therefore are "not found in current reporting" among the provided sources (available sources do not mention specific airline‑by‑airline requirements).
2. Adults and seniors: passports work as REAL ID alternatives
For adult passengers (18 and older), TSA requires a valid form of identification to pass the checkpoint [1]. U.S. passports (book or card) are explicitly listed as acceptable alternatives to a REAL ID‑compliant state driver’s license and may be used to board domestic flights and enter certain federal facilities [2] [6]. Starting May 7, 2025, non‑compliant state IDs ceased to be acceptable at airport checkpoints, making passports a clear fallback for seniors and other adults who do not have or do not want to obtain REAL ID [2] [5].
3. Noncitizens: passport plus immigration documents for domestic travel
Sources indicate noncitizens must present immigration documents when necessary: noncitizens are commonly required to show passports and valid visas for travel-related identity checks, and some reporting notes that noncitizens “must show passports and valid visas” when traveling [4]. TSA’s acceptable ID list also includes U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services documents such as Employment Authorization Cards (I‑766), which appear among acceptable IDs at checkpoints [1]. The supplied material does not fully enumerate every circumstance where additional immigration papers are required — for example, how airlines enforce these rules — and those operational details are "not found in current reporting" among the provided results (available sources do not mention airline enforcement specifics).
4. Expired passports and edge cases: limited, mixed reporting
One secondary source here claims TSA accepts expired passports for up to a year after expiration for domestic flights [7]. That claim appears in a non‑official blog and is not corroborated by the official TSA or State Department pages in the provided set; official TSA guidance instead lists which IDs are acceptable without detailing a universal expired‑passport exception in the supplied TSA pages [1] [2]. Given the inconsistency in the provided material, travelers should treat the one‑year expired‑passport claim cautiously — official sources in this result set do not uniformly confirm it (available sources do not fully confirm expired‑passport policy as stated in [9]4).
5. Practical takeaways and likely friction points at checkpoints
Practical consequences flow from enforcement of REAL ID rules: by May 7, 2025, state driver’s licenses that lack REAL ID compliance ceased to be accepted at airports, so travelers who lack REAL ID will rely on passports, passport cards, or other listed documents [2] [5]. TSA has also signaled new procedures and fees for travelers without acceptable ID in later notices (a planned Refer‑and‑Pay option for Confirm.ID appears in a later TSA press reference in these results but applies to 2026) [8]. Sources note that more than 94% of passengers already use REAL ID or acceptable forms of ID and that TSA expects longer processing for those without acceptable ID [8].
6. Disagreements, gaps and where reporting diverges
The provided sources consistently list passports as acceptable alternatives to REAL ID [2] [6] [3]. They diverge, however, on specifics like expired‑passport acceptance and some operational enforcement details: the expired‑passport allowance appears in a private blog [7] but is not mirrored in the official TSA/State Department excerpts supplied [1] [2] [6]. Airline‑level enforcement, unaccompanied‑minor airline policies, and the precise handling of noncitizens in every airline or airport are not fully described in these sources (available sources do not mention those operational nuances).
Bottom line: passports are valid and commonly recommended alternatives to REAL ID for adults and seniors at U.S. checkpoints [2] [6], children under 18 generally do not need ID when traveling with a companion [1], and noncitizens should plan to carry passports plus any required immigration documents [4]. Where sources conflict or omit operational detail (expired passports, airline-specific enforcement), travelers should consult the airline and official agency pages directly before travel (available sources do not provide exhaustive operational answers).