In an announcement overlooked by many amid the coronavirus hubbub, the TSA has said that for a limited time passengers may use expired driver's licenses to get through airport security. Licenses can be expired for up to a full year and remain eligible. The agency made the temporary policy change public in a single tweet.
Not many of us are traveling right now, but the allowance will extend for two months "after the COVID-19 national emergency."
TSA will allow those with driver’s licenses that expired beginning March 1, and who are not able to renew their license, to use it as acceptable ID at checkpoints for 1 year after expiration date, plus 60 days after the #COVID19 national emergency: https://t.co/wn6dItY9zB pic.twitter.com/4MP04hQhma
— TSA (@TSA) March 17, 2020
The TSA did not stipulate how we'll know the exact date when the national emergency will be considered officially over and the countdown clock will begin, but we expect that once that's decided, more information will appear on the agency's official coronavirus web page.
Update, January 2021: The U.S. government has updated its guidance to be clearer and more flexible: No matter when a license expires, "TSA will accept expired driver’s licenses or state-issued ID a year after expiration." Most states are fulfilling renewals by mail or with limited personal contact.
