How Do I Get on an Airplane After Arrested for DUI in Georgia When the Officer Took My License?

Atlanta, Ga. - Traveling through the Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson Airport can be daunting. It the busiest airport in the world. The process can be even more intimidating when you've recently been arrested for DUI in Georgia, the officer took your Driver's License, and you need to travel out of state.

Many of my clients were arrested for DUI while visiting Georgia (Georgia DUI by Out of State Driver). Another large amount of my clients are Georgia residents but must conduct business out of state or even out of the country. This leads to a common question: how do I get on an airplane?

In Georgia, when a driver is arrested for DUI, most of the time, the arresting officer will take their Driver's License. This typically leads to the person having no government-issued photo ID.

The reason for the seizure of a person's license is to make the person aware of the upcoming suspension. If you are arrested for DUI in Georgia, you only have 30 days from the date of your arrest to file an appeal of your driver's license suspension or elect to install an ignition interlock device on your automobile.  Your failure to act will result in a license suspension, and in the case of a refusal to submit to the State-administered test of your breath, blood, or urine, the suspension is for 12 months. 

If the case involves a refusal to submit to testing, your license will be suspended for 12-months. That means you will not even have a restricted license to drive.  

If the case involves a driver who has submitted to a breath, blood, or urine test, the length of the suspension is 120 days.  During the suspension, a person with a Georgia Driver's license can get a restricted license and reinstate their driver's license after 30 days, as long as they attend DUI School and pay a $210 reinstatement fee. 

Fighting the suspension can be handled by a Georgia DUI Lawyer. However, in cases involving necessary travel, the driver still needs an alternative in the meantime.

Here are the acceptable forms of identification as laid out by the Transportation Security Administration:

• Driver's licenses or other state photo identity cards issued by Department of Motor Vehicles (or equivalent)
• U.S. passport
• U.S. passport card
• DHS trusted traveler cards (Global Entry, NEXUS, SENTRI, FAST)
• U.S. Department of Defense ID, including IDs issued to dependents
• Permanent resident card
• Border crossing card
• State-issued Enhanced Driver's License
• Federally recognized tribal-issued photo ID
• HSPD-12 PIV card
• Foreign government-issued passport
• Canadian provincial driver's license or Indian and Northern Affairs Canada card
• Transportation worker identification credential
• U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Employment Authorization Card (I-766)
• U.S. Merchant Mariner Credential

However, if you do not have any of these forms of identification, there are still options. Even without photo identification, you still might be able to fly. You will be required to complete an identity verification process which includes collecting information such as your name, current address, and other personal information to confirm your identity. If your identity is confirmed, you will be allowed to enter the screening checkpoint.

This may also result in additional screening including a patdown and screening of carry-on property.

Practice Note

If you or a loved one has been arrested for DUI - call our offices now. We can help you with your DUI case as well as the administrative hearing (ALS Hearing in Georgia).