Amtrak ID requirements

[leastprime]

I d want and insist for everybody to have ID and to purchase the first ticket in person. We also travel Amtrak about every 2 months. Also Amtrak Rewards members. they know who we are.
IMO.

[Labonte18]

Originally Posted by burgler09

I know when I go on the Amtrak, someone always comes by and scans your ticket and checks your ID.


Edit: Now I can not remember for the life of me if they asked for my ID with the ticket or just ask for the ticket.

I had my ticket checked, but never asked for ID when I rode.. Again.. That was a good long time ago.

Either way, it's not going to be an issue, we'll have an ID for him, but.. I'm still curious as to what Amtrak will say.. So far.. No response to the email I sent.

I did call in and they had said that a school ID would be fine.. I didn't know at that time that his school didn't do photo IDs.

[billl]

I've been on the Acela several times within the past few years and was never asked for ID.

[hertfordshire]

I can't remember now whether or not my ID was checked. But my general theory in these sorts of situations is "it's better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it."

[reneeh63]

I've taken Amtrak maybe 50 times to Chicago in the last five years and was only asked for ID once....don't know what would have happened if I didn't have it.

But ID is a good thing to have for any number of situations...lots of kids have a driver's license at 16 so if that's not happening he'll still need something for college, etc. soon enough. They're good for at least 5 years in most places so $22 is peanuts.

[leastprime]

We got our son a DMV Personal ID, age 12 (?) This was before 9/11.

[Labonte18]

So, they replied back that SOME form of ID is required.. Sort of. they didn't flat out address why their site says under 18 doesn't need an ID, but with "Here are acceptable forms of ID"

and it's a hell of a list.. I especially like "Prison Release Papers"

The following are examples of acceptable identification, and not an exclusive list:

United States Residents - Examples of Government-Issued Photo Identification

One required.
 State-issued drivers license
 State-issued identification card issued by the same agency that issues drivers licenses
City issued identification cards
 U.S. Passport
 U.S. Resident Alien Card
 University, college, or high school photo identification public or private
 United States Armed Forces military identification
 Job Corps photo identification
 Veterans Access Card issued by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
 Tribal identification (Native American/First Nations, etc.)
 Law enforcement (police, etc.) photo identification
 Amtrak employee photo identification
 Federal, state, county, or local government employee photo identification

United States undocumented residents drivers licenses

Some states and the District of Columbia have changed their laws to allow undocumented residents to obtain driver's licenses. This type of state government issued identification is acceptable for the purchase of travel documents.

Examples of Non-Photo or Non-Government Issued Identification

Two required. One must be government-issued.
 Non-photo drivers license*
 Temporary drivers license*
 Social Security card
 Voter registration card
 Certified copy of birth certificate issued by a city, county, state, provincial, or federal government; must have raised, embossed seal and a dated certification that it is a true copy of the original on file at the issuing office. A birth certificate is unacceptable if it contains a notation indicating that it is informational only, and not a valid document to establish identity, even if it has the embossed seal and the certification that it is a true copy.
 Public assistance card
 Medicare/Medicaid card
 Concealed Carry Permit card
 Professional or Occupational License (nurse, doctor, lawyer, hairdresser, etc.)
 Police report of lost or stolen identification if no more than 30 days old**
 Prison release papers if no more than 30 days old**
 Military discharge papers (DD214) if no more than 30 days old
 Employee identification card with photo, from a major employer such as a bank
 AAA/CAA membership card
 Student Advantage card
 International Student Identity Card (ISIC)
 Credit card with name and signature that matches the other form of identification

And what is not good

 Expired identification
 Photocopies, facsimiles, or any other type of copy
 Birth certificates that contain a notation that they are informational only
 Identification not that of the passenger
 Non-employee photo identification issued by a private company or merchant (in particular, photo ID cards issued by check cashing stores)
 Prison release papers if more than 30 days old
 Police report of lost or stolen identification if more than 30 days old