Which IDs a bar can accept
Can a bar accept a passport or passport card?
Published October 27, 2026 · 23 sources linked
The short answer
In each of the 12 states and DC below, the alcohol law or regulator names a passport among the IDs a seller can rely on for proof of age. Passport cards and foreign passports vary more. Vermont's law, Washington's rule and the alcohol regulators in Massachusetts and Pennsylvania name the passport card; Massachusetts, Minnesota and North Dakota attach a condition to a foreign passport.
Examples by state
- Passport card named
- Vermont's law, Washington's rule and the alcohol regulators in Massachusetts and Pennsylvania
- Foreign passport, with a condition
- Massachusetts and North Dakota (tied to US recognition), Minnesota (held by a foreign national)
- Staff may decline a passport
- Alaska, as proof that a buyer is not barred from buying alcohol by a sentence, probation or parole
- What a US passport card is
- Issued on the same basis as a passport book, valid only for land and sea travel to Mexico, Canada, the Caribbean and Bermuda
AgeShield ID Scanner
A passport scans from one side
AgeShield reads a passport from its machine-readable zone in every scan mode and runs the age, expiry and Banned list checks on it. Passport cards are on the list of IDs it reads too.
What state alcohol laws say about passports
In every place below, the law or the regulator names a passport. What differs is the detail: whether a passport card counts, which foreign passports qualify and what a passport does under the state's defenses.
- State
- Alaska
- What the law or regulator says
- The alcohol board's rule says valid ID under the proof-of-age law includes an unexpired, unaltered passport. The law and the rule let staff decline a passport as proof that a buyer is not barred from buying alcohol by a sentence, probation or parole. Staff may then ask for a driver's license, a state ID card or proof the buyer does not live in Alaska.
- State
- California
- What the law or regulator says
- The alcohol regulator lists both US and foreign passports with a photograph, but without a physical description, among IDs that could qualify.
- State
- Massachusetts
- What the law or regulator says
- The alcohol law's list of IDs a seller may reasonably rely on names a valid passport issued by the US government or by a foreign government the United States recognizes. The alcohol commission's list adds a passport card for a US passport.
- State
- Minnesota
- What the law or regulator says
- Proof of age may be established only by the IDs the law lists. They include a valid passport issued by the United States and, for a foreign national, a valid passport.
- State
- New York
- What the law or regulator says
- The alcohol law names a valid passport issued by the United States or any other country among the only documents a licensee may accept as written evidence of age.
- State
- North Dakota
- What the law or regulator says
- Staff may determine proof of age solely by inspecting one of three IDs, one of them a valid passport issued or recognized by the United States.
- State
- Ohio
- What the law or regulator says
- One defense names a US or foreign passport that shows the holder's picture and that the buyer was 21 or older, along with staff checking the ID against the buyer and for alterations. The law says it applies in addition to the defense for a completed transaction scan, which is written about driver's licenses and ID cards.
- State
- Pennsylvania
- What the law or regulator says
- The Liquor Code accepts a valid passport or travel visa issued by the United States or a foreign country that contains the holder's photograph. The liquor board's list of acceptable IDs adds the passport card.
- State
- Texas
- What the law or regulator says
- The alcohol law gives a seller a defense when a minor claimed to be 21 or older and showed an apparently valid ID issued by a government agency, with a physical description and photo consistent with the minor's appearance. Its examples of such an ID include a passport. The alcohol regulator says sellers may accept any ID they are comfortable with, including foreign passports.
- State
- Vermont
- What the law or regulator says
- The law names a valid passport or passport card bearing the holder's photograph and signature. The liquor agency's poster lists a US or foreign passport and a US passport card.
- State
- Washington
- What the law or regulator says
- The liquor board's rule lists a passport and a passport card. An acceptable ID shows a photo, date of birth and signature, though a federally issued ID needs no visible signature.
- Source
- WAC 314-11-025
- State
- Wyoming
- What the law or regulator says
- The law names an internationally accepted passport document with a discernible date of birth and photograph as evidence of age and identity.
- Source
- Wyo. Stat. 12-6-101(h)
- State
- Washington, DC
- What the law or regulator says
- The alcohol law defines a valid ID as an official ID issued by a local, state, federal or foreign government agency that shows the bearer's name, date of birth, signature and photo. The alcohol regulator's guide to foreign IDs gives a passport as an example.
A state missing from this table is not covered here, which says nothing about its law. Each state guide lists the IDs that state's own law names.
Passport cards
Federal rules say a US passport card is issued on the same basis as a passport book, but it is valid only for travel through land and sea ports between the United States and Mexico, Canada, the Caribbean and Bermuda. A passport book is valid only once the bearer signs it, while a card is valid without the bearer's signature.
Some state lists name the card. Vermont's law names a passport or passport card bearing the holder's photograph and signature, and Washington's rule lists both and does not require a visible signature on a federally issued ID. In Pennsylvania and Massachusetts the alcohol regulator's list adds the card to the passport the state's law names. Other lists, such as New York's and Minnesota's, say passport without mentioning the card.
22 CFR 51.3(e) and 51.4 (US passports and passport cards)Massachusetts Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission, advisory on s. 34B (January 10, 2025)
Foreign passports
The laws above treat foreign passports in different ways. New York's and Pennsylvania's name a passport from the United States or any other country. Massachusetts names one from a foreign government the United States recognizes, North Dakota one the United States issues or recognizes and Minnesota a valid passport held by a foreign national. Wyoming's law names any internationally accepted passport document, so it covers both kinds.
Regulators add practical points. Vermont's liquor agency says staff do not have to accept a foreign passport in a language they cannot understand. Texas's regulator says sellers may accept foreign passports. Driver's licenses from abroad are a separate question, covered in out-of-state and foreign IDs at a bar.
Checking a passport at the door
A passport carries the same things staff check on a license: a photo, date of birth and expiry date. Washington's rule says an ID cannot be used to verify age after it expires, Pennsylvania's liquor board says an expired ID cannot be accepted and Alaska's rule names an unexpired passport. What other states say about expired IDs is in can a bar accept an expired ID?
A US passport issued at 16 or older is valid for up to 10 years and one issued under 16 for up to five, so the photo on a valid passport can be years old. A passport is one of the photo IDs a house rule can ask for when a guest's license is a paper temporary document, the subject of can a bar accept a paper temporary ID? A written door policy is where the house names the passports and cards it takes.
How an ID scan reads a passport
AgeShield reads passports and passport cards. A passport is read from its machine-readable zone, the block of letters, numbers and < symbols on the photo page, in every scan mode and from one side. The age, expiry and Banned list checks then run as they do on a license.
The barcode forgery check needs the AAMVA barcode carried by US and Canadian licenses and state IDs, so a passport gets no barcode forgery result. If the camera cannot read a document, staff can tap Manual Entry and type the details in, and the record is marked "Manual entry". See how a scan works for every check by scan mode.
Four emails a year
What changed in ID law, before it takes effect
Many state rules on IDs and age checks take effect on January 1 or July 1. Each quarter we send one short summary of the changes we found, with the source for every line, starting with the states you pick.
Common questions
Can you use a passport card at a bar?
Vermont's alcohol law, Washington's liquor rule and the alcohol regulators in Massachusetts and Pennsylvania name the passport card. Under federal rules the card is issued on the same basis as a passport book. A venue's house rule can also say which IDs it takes.
Can a bar accept a foreign passport?
In New York, Pennsylvania, California, Vermont, Ohio and Texas, the alcohol law or regulator names foreign passports, and Wyoming's law names any internationally accepted passport document. Massachusetts names one from a foreign government the United States recognizes, North Dakota one the United States issues or recognizes and Minnesota one held by a foreign national. DC's law counts an official ID from a foreign government that shows the bearer's name, date of birth, signature and photo. Its regulator gives a passport as an example.
Can a bar refuse a passport?
Alaska's law lets staff decline a passport as proof that a buyer is not barred from buying alcohol by a sentence, probation or parole. Staff may then ask for a driver's license, a state ID card or proof the buyer does not live in Alaska. Vermont's liquor agency says staff do not have to accept a foreign passport in a language they cannot understand, and Texas's regulator says sellers may accept any ID they are comfortable with.
Does an ID scanner read a passport?
AgeShield reads a passport from its machine-readable zone in every scan mode, then runs the age, expiry and Banned list checks. A passport has no AAMVA barcode, so it gets no barcode forgery result.
Sources
- 22 CFR 51.3(e) and 51.4 (US passports and passport cards)
- Massachusetts Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission, advisory on s. 34B (January 10, 2025)
- Alaska 3 AAC 305.800
- Alaska Stat. 04.21.050
- Alaska Stat. 04.16.160
- California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control, Checking Identification
- M.G.L. c. 138, s. 34B
- Minn. Stat. 340A.503, subd. 6
- N.Y. Alco. Bev. Cont. Law 65-b(2)(b)
- N.D. Cent. Code 5-01-08.3(1)
- Ohio Rev. Code 4301.639
- Ohio Rev. Code 4301.611
- Ohio Rev. Code 4301.61
- 47 P.S. 4-495(a)
- Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board, RAMP, Detecting Fake ID Cards
- Tex. Alco. Bev. Code 106.03(b)
- Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission, Age Verification
- 7 V.S.A. 589
- Vermont Division of Liquor Control, Acceptable IDs (2022)
- WAC 314-11-025
- Wyo. Stat. 12-6-101(h)
- D.C. Code 25-101(53)
- DC Alcoholic Beverage and Cannabis Administration, Quick Guide: Accepting Foreign Identifications
This page is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional legal advice. We research each rule and link its source, so you can check it against your own venue. Questions are welcome at support@ageshield.bar.
Still unsure which passports your state's law names?
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