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Kokua Line
June Watanabe
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School ID not enough to get on flight
Question: My daughter is away for school and lost her Hawaii driver's license. She has her school ID card with her picture on it. Is this adequate to get her on a flight back home? I don't think the Hawaii licensing department would issue a replacement without her being there in person.
Answer: Assuming your daughter is at least 18, a school ID card is not acceptable on its own.
It may be accepted by the airlines if she has another ID card issued by a government agency.
For airline travelers 18 years or older, the Transportation Security Administration requires a government-issued photo ID from a federal, state or local (city) agency, such as a driver's license, military ID or passport.
If such an ID is unavailable, travelers 18 and older can provide two forms of non-photo identification, one of which must be issued by a government authority (such as a Social Security card).
Acceptable nongovernment identification may include a school ID card, company ID card, credit card, proof of auto insurance in the passenger's name or even a library card.
But a TSA official explained that the decision on what alternate form of identification is accepted is "an airline issue."
The biggest misunderstanding among travelers, he said, is that they think people checking their airline tickets before they head for the walk-through metal detectors are TSA employees. They are not -- they are employed by the airlines.
Your daughter should double-check ID requirements with the appropriate airline before traveling.
If the airline accepts two non-photo IDS in place of one government-issued photo ID, then the TSA also will accept them.
With the holiday season approaching, the TSA official advised travelers to be familiar with all security requirements. Check the Web site www.tsa.gov for information on what and how to pack, what IDs to have and other travel tips.
That all said, your daughter can apply for a duplicate driver's license by mail. Driver's licenses are issued by the counties.
In Honolulu, the procedure is outlined on the Web site, http://www.co.honolulu.hi.us/csd/vehicle/dlprocedures.htm.
Basically, she should send a letter requesting a duplicate to Driver License Section, P.O. Box 30340, Honolulu, HI 96820-0340 or fax it to (808) 832-2904.
She should include her name, mailing address as it will appear on the license, Social Security number or Hawaii driver's license number, date of birth, e-mail address (optional), reason for the request, a signature and a fee of $5 payable to the City & County of Honolulu.
If there is nothing outstanding to prevent issuing a license, the city will mail her another license.
The license will be without a photo, unless her driver's photo is found in the city's driver database, in which case both the photo and signature will be placed on the duplicate license.
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