Expired passport- no other I.d.

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Luz Maria

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I need to know if I can use my expired passport as a form of I.d. I have no other form of I.d. and am in desperate need to travel to Oregon from Georgia. I will have my 2 year old son with me & my 19 year old brother who does have current I.d.

I will be buying our tickets online. please help!
 
My understanding is that an expired U.S. passport should be acceptable as ID for travel within the U.S.A.- whether someone checking knows that is another question entirely.

This US Government page says that a passport, expired or not, is proof of both citizenship and identity:

http://www.azahcccs.gov/shared/Downloads/EligibilityManual/AEPM/chapter_0500/508.03_proof_documents_for_us_citizenship_and_identity.htm

But, my experience with Amtrak is that I've almost never been asked for ID at all. So, there's that, too.
 
No one on this message board can give you a definitive answer whether an Amtrak employee will accept an expired passport. Amtrak policies require you to produce an ID on request to an Amtrak employee on board the train. It is not specifically required to board the train in the first place. However, there are several things to know:

1. Not all conductors make this request. IME you have a better than average chance of NOT being asked, but this is no guarantee. Other than

the conductor who lifts your ticket, it is extremely rare to be asked for an ID on board. If you are traveling from Georgia to Oregon, however, you

will be on at least three different trains, so that does increase your chances of being asked.

2. Amtrak's website lists acceptable forms of ID. Please note that a photo ID is NOT specifically required, however the website does not

really list examples of acceptable non-photo ID's. And in any case, if you use a non-photo ID, you need to have TWO pieces of ID, one

of which is issued by a government entity.

3. If you use an expired passport, there is a pretty good chance that the Amtrak employee will not notice the expiration date, unless the photo is

obviously (i.e. 20 or 30 years) out of date.

4. As the previous poster said, expired passports do have some legal standing as acceptable ID forms, but an on-board Amtrak employee may

not be aware of this. In any case, Amtrak's website says to be valid, an ID has to be "current and in-force."

So I would GUESS you would be fine. But as this board is not specifically associated with Amtrak, we can offer no guarantees.
 
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One parent crossing state lines with child in tow while carrying questionable ID?

Maybe everything is on the up and up but this sticks out like a sore thumb to me.
 
Devil's Advocate said:
One parent crossing state lines with child in tow while carrying questionable ID?

Maybe everything is on the up and up but this sticks out like a sore thumb to me.
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This. Even with completely innocent intentions, this combination of circumstances added with the "desperate need to travel to Oregon from Georgia" is worthy of scrutiny and suspicion.
 
Are you worried about presenting ID to a conductor on the train, or are you worried about presenting ID to the person at the ticket window when picking up your on-line ordered tickets (if you pick that option)?
 
Guest said:
Are you worried about presenting ID to a conductor on the train, or are you worried about presenting ID to the person at the ticket window when picking up your on-line ordered tickets (if you pick that option)?
Click to expand...
Yeah, I would think the ID request is more likely to come at the ticket counter. Bring the passport, and anything else with your name on it. Or go to the DMV and renew your license or get a state ID. Presumably you had the means of ID to get the passport.
 
Luz Maria said:
I need to know if I can use my expired passport as a form of I.d. I have no other form of I.d. and am in desperate need to travel to Oregon from Georgia. I will have my 2 year old son with me & my 19 year old brother who does have current I.d.

I will be buying our tickets online. please help!
Click to expand...
If you can wait a day, you can get a DL or at least a state issued ID if you have the necessary documentation. It's almost immediate (you'll at least have a temporary ID), costs less than $50 and gets you what you need. I don't know you or your brother's circumstances, but if everything is on the up and up, the state ID issue shouldn't be a problem. If it IS a problem, all I can suggest is that you take your chances.
 
Is this a US passport or a foreign passport? If a US passport, then go to a US passport office, or contact them. I have renewed a US passport that had expired, not exactly sure since it has been several years, but do not think I had any other form of ID.

The 19 year odl will also need some form of ID.

If escaping an abusive situation, there are people that can be contacted for help with that. Look for them.

If an expired foreign passport, then you have other problems that we cannot help you with here.
 
CoachSlumber said:
Guest said:
Are you worried about presenting ID to a conductor on the train, or are you worried about presenting ID to the person at the ticket window when picking up your on-line ordered tickets (if you pick that option)?
Click to expand...
Yeah, I would think the ID request is more likely to come at the ticket counter. Bring the passport, and anything else with your name on it. Or go to the DMV and renew your license or get a state ID. Presumably you had the means of ID to get the passport.
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Why would they need to go to a ticket window? Their tickets are almost assuredly eligible for e-ticketing. They just print out the e-ticket confirmation and get on the train. Or use the Smartphone app. Or a Quik-Trak machine, if available. Unless they're checking bags, there isn't any particular reason they would need to interact with an Amtrak employee at the station.
 
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george said:
Is this a US passport or a foreign passport? If a US passport, then go to a US passport office, or contact them. I have renewed a US passport that had expired, not exactly sure since it has been several years, but do not think I had any other form of ID.

The 19 year odl will also need some form of ID.

If escaping an abusive situation, there are people that can be contacted for help with that. Look for them.

If an expired foreign passport, then you have other problems that we cannot help you with here.
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Renewing a US passport is not an inexpensive proposition these days, especially on short notice. $110 for the passport book plus $60 for expedited service. And odds are, the OP won't asked for an ID if she has valid eTicket printouts.

I don't get these suspicious responses. There are many people who do not have driver licenses (or active ones) and don't have a photo ID from a job (which might not be accepted anyway). If someone was taking Amtrak under questionable circumstances, why would they post here? How about we be more polite and receptive to the guest poster?
 
If you use Quik-Trak or print out at home, you're almost certain to be asked for ID on the train, and removed if you don't have it (otherwise it could be a stolen ticket, etc.)
 
crew said:
If you use Quik-Trak or print out at home, you're almost certain to be asked for ID on the train, and removed if you don't have it (otherwise it could be a stolen ticket, etc.)
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Right, but if you pick up a ticket from an agent, it's a near 100% chance of being asked for ID...and you're still liable to be asked on the train anyway.

As I said upthread, there are no guarantees here. But ultimately, for strategic purposes, the goal is to minimize the number of interactions with people

who believe it's their job to make sure your "papers please" are in order.
 
crew said:
If you use Quik-Trak or print out at home, you're almost certain to be asked for ID on the train, and removed if you don't have it (otherwise it could be a stolen ticket, etc.)
Click to expand...
I'm sorry, but I have to dispute that claim. I 99+% of the time only have 1 or the other and use a AAA discount. To this day, I have never been asked for ID on the train! The only time I've been asked for ID is when I pick up tickets at the ticket window. (Of course when I print them at a QT - which is 99+% of the time - the QT machine has never asked to see my ID!)
And (my opinion only) an expired passport should be accepted. It is a Government issued ID, has your photo on it and shows your nationality on it.
 
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crew said:
If you use Quik-Trak or print out at home, you're almost certain to be asked for ID on the train, and removed if you don't have it (otherwise it could be a stolen ticket, etc.)
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I agree with the_Traveler. In my experience, which is mostly on corridor services in the east, they rarely ask for ID if you have a printed eTicket or Quik-Trak eTicket. They scan the ticket and move on.
 
I have been asked to show ID on the Coast Starlight 3 times. Once before the conductor scanned my ticket before boarding and twice when they came around to do seat checks.
 
VentureForth said:
If you can wait a day, you can get a DL or at least a state issued ID if you have the necessary documentation. It's almost immediate (you'll at least have a temporary ID), costs less than $50 and gets you what you need. I don't know you or your brother's circumstances, but if everything is on the up and up, the state ID issue shouldn't be a problem. If it IS a problem, all I can suggest is that you take your chances.
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In 2010 in order to get a Texas DL, even though I had current CA DL, I had to produce a notarized original birth certificate and original SS card. It took weeks. Totally outrageous IMHO
 
the_traveler said:
That IS outrageous! When I moved from NYS to AZ, AZ to NV, NV to AZ and AZ to RI, I just turned in my current (other state's) license and got a new (present state's) license in 3 minutes!
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The plastic card for California is made by an outside 3rd Party vendor, and the wait time to get it is the official "two to six weeks." They will provide you with a temporary paper license/ID at the office but it will not have a photograph on it.
 
the_traveler said:
That IS outrageous! When I moved from NYS to AZ, AZ to NV, NV to AZ and AZ to RI, I just turned in my current (other state's) license and got a new (present state's) license in 3 minutes!
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When I moved to RI four years ago it took at least four hours. :p That DMV is no joke! :giggle:
 
I think the main point is that if I am Mr Bloggs and have passed Goverment checks to obtain a passport to confirm this, then I am still Mr Bloggs despite the expiry date on the passport. The passport may no longer be valid as a passport, but it should be accepted to confirm who I am.

Sometimes folk don't travel much and don't keep paperwork up to date because they don't anticipate needing it, and then a sudden death or other disaster strikes where they may need to catch a train at short notice.

Ed :cool:
 
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