Can a bar accept a paper temporary ID?

What a paper temporary license is

In several states the plastic card is no longer handed over at the counter. Ohio, Oregon and Indiana mail the card and give the driver an interim document to carry until it arrives. New York's interim document covers the time until the driver receives the card, and Washington prints its temporary licenses on paper.

What that document looks like varies. Oregon's interim card is printed on blue security paper and carries the same data as the final card, barcodes included, while New York's is printed on plain letter-size paper. Wisconsin's law does not require a photo on two kinds of temporary license: the receipt issued when a renewal needs a new exam and an officer's notice of suspension after a chemical test.

Please note that the interim document only verifies driving status; it is not, and has never been, proof of identity.

Wis. Stat. 343.17(5)

What state alcohol rules say about temporary licenses

The four states below address temporary licenses directly in their alcohol rules or the regulator's guidance, and they split two each way. Where a state's rules do not mention one, the question turns on the state's general test for proof of age, such as a photo, a date of birth or a listed type of ID.

The old card and a second ID

In the two states above where a temporary license is accepted for alcohol, a second document comes into it. New Mexico's regulator ties it to the old card, and Washington's licensing department says its paper is not valid as ID without another piece of ID, such as an expired license. California's regulator states a general rule that points the other way: a person may not combine two unacceptable IDs to make one acceptable ID.

The old card that comes back with the paper may itself have expired, and whether an expired card counts is a separate question with its own state rules, covered in can a bar accept an expired ID?. New Mexico's answer also speaks of the old vertical ID. California's and Vermont's regulators note that IDs issued to minors are vertical, and vertical IDs after 21 covers that card once its holder turns 21.

A house rule for paper documents

Because the answer changes from state to state, and the alcohol rules and the DMV can describe the same paper differently, a house rule can settle paper documents once. It can turn paper away altogether, or take it only next to a photo ID such as the old card or a passport.

A written door policy is where that rule sits, next to the line on expired IDs, so the door gives the same answer every time. Staff who can name the IDs the house does take, such as a passport or passport card, give a guest who is turned away something to bring next time. The rest of the check stays the same, as in how to check IDs at the door.

How an ID scan treats a paper document

AgeShield accepts driver's licenses from any country, US state IDs, US green cards and passports. If the camera cannot read a document, staff can tap Manual Entry and type the details in, and the age and expiry checks still run. The record is marked "Manual entry", so anyone reviewing it later can tell the details were typed.

Manual Entry is on for new venues, and an owner can switch it off in the hub to require a camera scan for every guest. Where a guest also shows the old card or a passport, staff can scan that instead. An expired card is flagged unless the venue has turned on Allow Expired IDs, a setting that is off by default. See how a scan works for every result the phone can show.