Because July 4th falls on a Wedneday , a peck of Americans will expend a five - day weekend travel and crapulence . It ’s fairly coarse to misplace a billfold or a purse on that sort of vacation . And getting on a return escape without a valid ID , as you might imagine , is not easy . But it can be done . Here ’s how to work it with the TSA .
First , to make this even potential , directly charge a news report about your lost property with the local police — and ensure you get a reception or a copy of the report . take a firm stand that they make a photocopy of the report if you have to because hand - written notation mean diddley to the TSA .
Get Past the Ticket Counter
Once you get to the drome , check in to your airline and receive a boarding whirl . You ’ll have to do a bit of explaining here , though they should have you on disc as having flown out , so it should be comparatively painless ( at least , it was with Virgin America ) . Check any extraneous bags as they ’ll only slack you down at security . Next , make your way to the TSA checkpoint .
Get Past the TSA
The most important matter to do here is be humble . Understand that they will give you a clean amount of prick because you ’re making their jobs harder , so be prepared to smile and nod like your flight nursing home count on it because , well , it does . And they ’ll say you as much . If the TSA agents are not able to reassert your identity you will not be allowed to board .
So , as you border on the first level of security , you ’ll be ask to show your boarding pass and your characterization ID . excuse that you have your pass but lack picture ID . A law report assist , but it is not a valid shape of ID . Nor are the scanned copy of a parturition certificate or other IDs , valid or choke . Also , anything digital is generally despicable .
explicate the situation to the first security guard . He ’ll call in a executive program who will require you to fill out a TSL 44 form — fundamentally a passing that states your name , the last four of your SSN digits , and your dwelling house savoir-faire ( you must have live on there for at least a year ) . This grants the TSA permission to ensure your social security records .
Once the form is signed , the supervisor require a series of identity element - verifying interrogative sentence . He relay the questions call for by a remote officer who does the real record checks . Where were you give birth ? What state was your SSN put out in ? What are its last four digits ? Mother ’s inaugural name ? Father ’s name and property of nascence ? These inquiry alter , but they should generally be available on your birth certificate ( assuming you ’re a natural - accept citizen ) . Be quick with these sort of fact prior to arrive at surety .
If you get past the inquiring , gratz . Step one is done . What , you guess that was it ? No , no , no . Now you get to go through Enhanced Screening .
Get Past the Enhanced Screening
Get quick for the Full Monty of drome security . You ’ll go through the alloy detector and then be sport , maybe backscattered , and have your self-possession go through and swabbed .
The frisk is actually not that risky . You stand with metrical unit shoulder - width apart , arms out , palm tree up . The TSA federal agent explains what he ’s doing before he does it , and offers to do it in private if you favor . choose for the public pat down if a ) you ’re in a precipitation , and b ) you do n’t really give a squat at this stop . The agentive role melt his hand down the front and back of your shirt , down the sleeve , hindrance around the collar , then pat the front , rearward , and inseam of your pants . Mind you , you ’ve already taken off your jacket , whack , shoes and emptied your pockets , so this is comparatively quick .
While the patdown is going on , a second TSA agent select your item bin from the x - light beam machine and swabs everything . Each swab pad is then fed into long time Itemizer . This machine is a ghost detector that “ at the same time find incontrovertible and negative ions , allowing explosives and narcotics detective work in a single sampling ” according to the TSA website . Basically , it ’s a low - level spectrum analyser that tick for the chemical signature of various contraband . Everything in your carry - on bag will be swabbed and inspect ( hence , fit everything you could ) . After that , your consistency is swob as well .
If you pass that inspection , remain calm . Do n’t smile , do n’t rush . Congratulations , you ’ve just made it through a TSA checkpoint without any form official identification . The oversee officer will contract off on your TSL 44 form — this is essentially a temporary ID within the drome .
visualise in at least 20 mo to get through security in this situation . So if you recognise you ’re essay to fly without an ID , no lolly - gagging . Arrive in plenty of time . There ’s no point in go through all this if you have to go back out , past certificate , to the check - in riposte and buy a ticket for a new flight .
figure : Jeff Swensen /Getty Images
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