Many travellers would never dream of just heading to the airport and hopping on a flight without a valid passport. Shockingly, this is actually an option in some regions.
It’s true! Passport-free travel does exist; however, it is limited to specific conditions and only within certain countries and territories.
If you find the idea of spontaneous travel particularly enticing, and don’t have your own passport, take notes! Here’s where you can legally travel without a passport, and everything you need to know before you go.
U.S. Citizens: Travel within the United States and territories
Good news for Americans! If you’re a U.S. citizen, you can actually travel freely between all 50 states—without a passport, including all flights.
So it doesn’t matter if you want to drive from Florida to Ohio or fly from Michigan to California. All you need is a government issued photo ID (a driver’s license, for example), for most domestic flights.
Americans heading off the mainland to one of the U.S. territories, including Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the Northern Mariana Islands, can hop on most domestic flights without a passport, but it’s definitely worth double checking.
Some airlines might have their own policies and may request additional documentation for proof of citizenship.
European Union and Schengen area
Europe is known for the ease of travel between countries in the European Union. This includes those part of the Schengen Agreement, as well as non-EU Schengen countries.
Named after the village in Luxembourg, the Schengen area includes 29 European countries without internal border controls, allowing citizens to travel freely between them without a passport.
Similar to travelling within the United States, travel through the EU and Schengen Area means citizens can skip nearly every border check.
That being said, it’s recommended that individuals each still carry an official ID card with their nationality, as identification might be required incidentally, such as for booking flights or hotel rooms.
Note that non-EU citizens will still need a passport within these regions, as the benefits of cross-border travel without a passport extend only to citizens.
Caribbean islands and inter-island travel
In parts of the Caribbean, passport-free travel is a possibility. However, this largely depends on your nationality as well as which islands you’re hoping to visit.
Americans, for example, can visit Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Similarly, travellers with British Overseas Territory citizenship can travel to the British Virgin Islands and Anguilla, for example, without a passport.
Most inter-island travel within the Caribbean does require a passport for any international travel, including flight and ferry services. This is even the case between territories of the same country, so be sure to double check before you head to the terminal.
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