ID Badges

Are we required by law to carry an identification card in the United States of America?

I know that it might be different for each state, so it would be really nice to have a list of which state required I.D. and which state do not. I mainly want to know if it is required in the state of Hawaii.

Public Comments

1. I carry my license everywhere I go, you never know when you are gonna get harassed by the fuzz
2. No. There are US Supreme Court decisions on this matter. The police cannot require you to produce identification without cause either.
3. here in florida if the cops want they can detain you for having no ID until they can verify who you are
4. As I understand it you are required to show a police officer some form of identification if he demands it, so that suggests you are supposed to carry it with you at all times. I do know that you have to have your license on your person when driving a car.
5. my friend Chaz is from Hawaii, i think not though. but for ur main question, no, udont
6. I don't believe it's legal for a state to require citizens to carry ID. Up to just a few years ago, it was illegal for a cop to stop you on the street and ask for ID unless he had a very good reason. But with the War on Drugs, and now the War on Terrorism, police and government have much more power, and I've always thought this was the whole real purpose of these 'wars'. If you're driving a car, that's different, you have to have a driver's license and you're supposed to have it on you. And because a driver's license is so useful to show ID (to cash a check, for instance, or use a credit card) you can get an ID card from the Department of Motor Vehicles that is like a driver's license in every way except that you can't use it to drive. But there is no requirement -yet- that one has to carry ID with him at all times just in case a cop or other officer of the government asks for it. You do have to tell them your name and address if they ask. And if you lied, I suppose you could get into trouble. When the Social Security Act was passed in the 1930s, conservatives were against it, claiming that the SS card would become a national ID card! Language was put into the law to ban the use of SS numbers for anything but SS. But today your SS number is used for your military service ID, your bank account no., your student ID in college, etc. etc. The next PATRIOT Act was supposed to bring about a federal ID card. I have heard of it but I haven't seen it yet.
7. Generally no. I work in the travel industry and when electronic ticketing hit its stride, the EU and Asia carriers often required FOID (form of ID) to be shown at time of checkin. I learned that many countries require their residents to carry some sort of FOID, most do not. The US does not but since 9/11 there's been a tremendous amount of debate about it. Personally I'm in favor of it. Why would you object to proving you are who you say you are, unless of course you were lying...??
8. You are not required to carry ID. If you do carry ID, less problems with identifying the body. If you don't carry ID, the police can detain you until they can verify your ID, if you have a lawful presence to be in this country, if you have any wants or warrants, etc. Reasonable suspicion because you can't ID yourself is sufficient to detain (not arrest) you, believe it or not. Some people live just to cause problems for themselves.
9. You are required to identify yourself to law enforcement. That is a Supreme Court ruling that came out of a case from Nevada where a guy refused to tell the Nevada Highway Patrol his name. The Supreme Court did not say you are required to have identification on you at all times. However, if you are operating a car, you are required to have a drivers license on you. If you are buying alcohol or tobacco you are required to have proof of age before you buy. If you want to fly on a plane you must have identification to board. About the only place you can get away with not having identification is swimming at the beach.
10. No, you are not required to carry ID in any state, unless you are doing something that requires one (such as driving). However, it is in your best interest to carry it. If you do not, and you are suspected of something, police have the authority to detain you until they can determine who you are. For example, if you get caught jaywalking, and you have ID, you can sign your ticket and be on your way, but if you don't, you are going to get taken to the police station.