You can use an expired passport for ID in two specific situations: getting through TSA security on a domestic flight, as long as it expired within the last two years, and proving your U.S. citizenship when you apply for a new passport. Almost everywhere else, an expired passport is treated as an invalid document. Airlines won’t board you for an international flight, employers can’t accept it on a Form I-9, banks won’t open an account with it, and the Social Security Administration will turn it away.
Domestic Flights
TSA accepts a U.S. passport at the airport checkpoint for up to two years past its expiration date.1Transportation Security Administration. Acceptable Identification at the TSA Checkpoint A passport that expired in March 2024 will still get you through security in early 2026. One that expired in 2022 will not.
This backup matters more than it used to. REAL ID enforcement began on May 7, 2025, so a standard state driver’s license that isn’t REAL ID-compliant is no longer accepted at TSA checkpoints.2Transportation Security Administration. REAL ID If you haven’t upgraded your license, a recently expired passport is one of the few documents that will still get you on a domestic flight.
Starting February 1, 2026, travelers without any acceptable ID can pay a $45 fee to use TSA ConfirmID, a digital identity verification system. The fee covers a 10-day travel period, and the process happens at or near the checkpoint before you enter the security line.3Transportation Security Administration. TSA Introduces New $45 Fee Option for Travelers Without REAL ID Expect delays, and if TSA still can’t verify your identity, you won’t be allowed through.
Applying for a New Passport
The State Department accepts an expired U.S. passport as both proof of citizenship and primary photo identification when you apply for a new one. The passport application ID page lists “valid or expired, undamaged U.S. passport book or passport card” as acceptable primary ID.4Travel.State.Gov. Get Photo ID for a U.S. Passport You don’t need to dig up a birth certificate or gather secondary documents just because your passport has lapsed.
If your most recent passport was issued in the last 15 years, was issued when you were 16 or older, is undamaged, has never been reported lost or stolen, and is in your current name (or you can document a name change), you can renew by mail using Form DS-82.5Travel.State.Gov. Renew Your Passport by Mail Otherwise you’ll apply in person using Form DS-11.
International Travel
An expired passport will not get you across any international border in either direction. Airlines won’t board you and border agents will turn you back. U.S. Customs and Border Protection ended a temporary COVID-era policy in July 2022 that had allowed U.S. citizens to return home on expired passports, and the firm rule is back in place.6U.S. Customs and Border Protection. End of Use of Expired U.S. Passports for the Direct Return of U.S. Citizens to the United States
Many countries go further and require your passport to be valid for at least six months beyond your entry date, so even a passport that hasn’t technically expired can get you denied entry if it’s close. CBP maintains a list of countries that enforce this rule.7U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Six-Month Passport Validity Update If your passport expires while you’re overseas, contact the nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate to apply for a replacement or an emergency passport.6U.S. Customs and Border Protection. End of Use of Expired U.S. Passports for the Direct Return of U.S. Citizens to the United States
Starting a New Job
A U.S. passport appears on List A of Form I-9, meaning it proves both identity and work authorization in a single document. But the passport must be unexpired. The USCIS employer handbook states that all List A documents must be unexpired.8U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Handbook for Employers M-274 – 13.0 Acceptable Documents for Verifying Employment Authorization and Identity
There’s no workaround. An expired passport also can’t be used as a List B identity-only document, because List B documents likewise must be unexpired.9U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Form I-9 Acceptable Documents If your passport has expired and you’re completing an I-9, use a different combination, such as a driver’s license paired with a Social Security card or birth certificate.
Opening a Bank Account
Banks and credit unions follow federal Customer Identification Program rules that require verified ID when you open an account. The regulation specifies “unexpired government-issued identification evidencing nationality or residence and bearing a photograph,” with a passport listed as an example.10eCFR. 31 CFR 1020.220 – Customer Identification Program Requirements for Banks An expired passport doesn’t meet that standard.
The same regulation requires banks to have backup procedures when a customer can’t present unexpired photo ID, so alternative verification is technically available.10eCFR. 31 CFR 1020.220 – Customer Identification Program Requirements for Banks In practice, most banks will ask you to come back with current ID rather than invoke it.
Social Security and Other Government Services
The Social Security Administration lists a U.S. passport as acceptable primary identification, but under its general rule that “all documents must be current (not expired),” an expired passport won’t be accepted for a new card or a change to your record.11Social Security Administration. Learn What Documents You Will Need to Get a Social Security Card There’s one narrow exception: if you’re changing your name and need to prove a prior name, the SSA will accept an expired identity document in your old name.
Other federal and state agencies generally require unexpired government-issued photo ID for in-person services. If your expired passport is all you have, you may need a state-issued ID card before you can complete whatever you came for.
Voting at the Polls
Voter ID rules are set at the state level and vary widely. Some states accept expired passports within a set window. Some have age-based exceptions that let older voters use expired photo ID with no time limit. Many states don’t require photo ID at all or accept alternatives like a utility bill. Check with your state or county election office before election day if your passport is expired and you plan to use it to vote.
Buying Alcohol or Tobacco
Whether an expired passport is accepted for age verification is up to the business. No federal law requires a store or bar to accept any particular form of ID, and many train their staff to refuse expired documents. Your date of birth obviously doesn’t change, but plenty of cashiers and bouncers will turn away an expired passport rather than risk a compliance violation.
Renewing the Passport
If the expired passport keeps causing problems, renewing is the cleanest fix. The base fee for an adult passport book renewal is $130, with an optional $60 for expedited processing and $22.05 for 1–2 day delivery.12Travel.State.Gov. United States Passport Fees Routine processing currently takes four to six weeks; expedited takes two to three weeks. Neither estimate includes mailing time.13Travel.State.Gov. Processing Times for U.S. Passports Emergency appointments at regional passport agencies exist for genuine life-or-death travel situations, not for poor planning.