Who enforces passport requirements for passengers departing the US by air?
- By
- Aparna Patel
- |
- 10 Aug, 2023
- |
Airlines are subject to substantial fines for bringing in a passenger they should have known would be inadmissible. Thus they are going to verify that you have a passport, that it is not expired and that you have a visa for your destination if one is required. (And, yes, they do check. I’ve had an agent do an incomplete search and try to deny me boarding.)
In practice this means it’s all but impossible to get on an international flight without a passport even though the US has no formal outgoing passport control.
Turns out it’s mainly in order that the exit of nonimmigrant aliens can be recorded properly by the carrier. Airline staff are supposed to verify the travel document, though this is apparently not always done.
While officially, the only accepted ID by the TSA for non-North Americans/permanent residents is a passport even for domestic travel, the Website also says:
In the event you arrive at the airport without valid identification, because it is lost or at home, you may still be allowed to fly. The TSA officer may ask you to complete a form to include your name and current address, and may ask additional questions to confirm your identity. If your identity is confirmed, you will be allowed to enter the screening checkpoint. You may be subject to additional screening.
This is also what happened: the person in question had to fill out a form with some personal details, including her street address back home in Finland
At the boarding gate, the staff didn’t care about anything but the boarding pass. This has also happened to me. When I flew JFK-ZRH on Delta, I had to show my passport, but not when flying LAX-ZRH on Swiss
Since the concerned person already had her passport number in the web check-in system, and she went on the flight, the exit from the US was also properly recorded (it appeared on the I-94 Website)
Credit:stackoverflow.com‘
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