Who enforces passport requirements for passengers departing the US by air?
Timatic states:
All nationals departing the USA will be required to hold a (valid) passport (booklet only, US Passport Card not accepted). Exempt are holders of:
- US Permanent Resident/Resident Alien Card (Form I-551);
- US Military ID Cards when traveling on official orders;
- US Merchant Mariner Card;
- NEXUS Card;
- US Travel Document:
- Refugee Travel Document (Form I-571); OR Permit to Re-Enter (Form I-327); - Emergency Travel Document (e.g. Consular Letter) issued by a Foreign Embassy or Consulate specifically for the purpose of travel to the bearers home country.
Given that the US does not have exit border control, who actually enforces this? The TSA checkpoint, the staff at the boarding gate, or both? (assuming you check in online with only hand baggage)?
The person in question does hold ID valid for the destination, but it's not any of the above listed documents, and she was robbed of her passport
Best Answer
Airlines are subject to substantial fines for bringing in a passenger they should have known would be inadmissible. Thus they are going to verify that you have a passport, that it is not expired and that you have a visa for your destination if one is required. (And, yes, they do check. I've had an agent do an incomplete search and try to deny me boarding.)
In practice this means it's all but impossible to get on an international flight without a passport even though the US has no formal outgoing passport control.
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