Airports & Travel Post Weight Loss

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carrietehbear
carrietehbear Posts: 384 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I'm getting ready to take my first flight since losing 83 pounds. I haven't changed my drivers license or any gov't id since losing the weight. (I'm too cheap to change something that isn't expired!) I clearly look different now. Anyone else travel with pre-weightloss IDs? Did you get heckled by the TSA?

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  • bwogilvie
    bwogilvie Posts: 2,130 Member
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    I haven't done that, but I have traveled with a passport that had a photo taken when I was a lot thinner. I think maybe one person asked; I said I had gained weight since the photo was taken. I think you'll be fine; border control agents are trained to look at ID photos, and they know that people's weight changes. I had more grief when I traveled after shaving off the beard that was on one of my photo IDs.
  • grimendale
    grimendale Posts: 2,153 Member
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    The comment on it occassionally (my picture looks like my face had been blown up like a balloon), but I have never had an issue getting on the flight. Drastic hair and facial hair changes tend to cause more problems.
  • likeabanner
    likeabanner Posts: 88 Member
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    My boyfriend lost over 40 pounds during the duration of him having his previous license, and the most he got was "Wow, how much did you lose?". I know it's not as much as you, but people don't seem to have an issue. It's you. That would be like asking someone to take their glasses off if their photo didn't have them with glasses on. Or if you dyed your hair brown when your photo is blonde!
  • poma91
    poma91 Posts: 181 Member
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    Or if you dyed your hair brown when your photo is blonde!

    Actually my cousin had a pretty serious problem because of that on an airport one time. She had dyed her hair black and on the id she was with really light blond hair. The security almost made her miss her flight.

    About the weight I am sorry I cannot answer that. But if the change looks extremely drastic you could get problems. I know that you are supposed to change your id if you've changed your appearance drastically
  • caffeinekandie
    caffeinekandie Posts: 40
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    I was almost denied 3 times because when I loose weight I look different (I was smaller than my passport ID), I think I had the same border agent for two of those times. Just domestic flights I was asked my birthdate, and told to update my picture.
  • carrietehbear
    carrietehbear Posts: 384 Member
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    Thanks. I'm sure it won't be too much of a problem. It didn't cross my mind until yesterday as I started to pack for my trip.
  • TS3g
    TS3g Posts: 74 Member
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    Usually they just do a double or triple take back and forth between my ID and looking at me. One agent did ask if I had lost a bunch of weight and when I said yes, she just smiled and said "Niiicccceeee!!!"

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