Green card no valid ID?

[Nancy2015 2]

Well, the confusing part for me here is that before I had my green card and showed my passport the guy at CVS said he wasn't allowed to sell me anything, because it was not an American ID. Now I do have my green card and am waiting for my SSN, in order to get a state ID,I can't use that as a valid ID either.

That would mean that all the tourists who come to the U.S. aren't allowed to buy alcohol or go to bars, because they don't have American ID's.

[athena_ny 1]

Well, the confusing part for me here is that before I had my green card and showed my passport the guy at CVS said he wasn't allowed to sell me anything, because it was not an American ID. Now I do have my green card and am waiting for my SSN, in order to get a state ID,I can't use that as a valid ID either.

That would mean that all the tourists who come to the U.S. aren't allowed to buy alcohol or go to bars, because they don't have American ID's.

Depends. My husband had a DL on a tourist visa.

[Caladan 19]

It sort of depends on the place. A bar near here won't accept foreign IDs because they can't tell whether the date listed is the birth date if it isn't in English. And if they're expecting driver's licenses (which they're used to) and you hand them a green card (which they have probably never seen), the clerk probably has no idea if it's real or if you photoshopped it.

[MATTOB 0]

bring back prohibition

[Nancy2015 2]

Well, the confusing part for me here is that before I had my green card and showed my passport the guy at CVS said he wasn't allowed to sell me anything, because it was not an American ID. Now I do have my green card and am waiting for my SSN, in order to get a state ID,I can't use that as a valid ID either.

That would mean that all the tourists who come to the U.S. aren't allowed to buy alcohol or go to bars, because they don't have American ID's.

Depends. My husband had a DL on a tourist visa.

Sure, you can get a DL with a valid B-visa, but if you're in the country for a one week visit, you probably won't even bother!

I had to use my passport as an ID when I first got here - people were looking at me as if I had two heads, but accepted it in the end.

[athena_ny 1]

Well, the confusing part for me here is that before I had my green card and showed my passport the guy at CVS said he wasn't allowed to sell me anything, because it was not an American ID. Now I do have my green card and am waiting for my SSN, in order to get a state ID,I can't use that as a valid ID either.

That would mean that all the tourists who come to the U.S. aren't allowed to buy alcohol or go to bars, because they don't have American ID's.

Depends. My husband had a DL on a tourist visa.

Sure, you can get a DL with a valid B-visa, but if you're in the country for a one week visit, you probably won't even bother!

I had to use my passport as an ID when I first got here - people were looking at me as if I had two heads, but accepted it in the end.

Well true. His father was on a work visa, and when he fell three stories and died, they couldn't really leave right away....

[Miranda&James 8]

Carrying a passport around for someone who lives here seems like a bit of an absurd option. If you lose it, you are in some serious doodoo, and it isn't like a card you can stick in your wallet (it could easily come out of a pocket seeing as it isn't really that small relative to pocket size), and even if you do want to use it for your alcohol ID sometimes going out to dinner is spontaneous and you wouldn't have it on you. Passports are precious things, I don't think they are something that should be carried around all day, they belong in a safety deposit box or some other place where it's unlikely to get lost or stolen. I personally didn't know you could get a state ID that wasn't a driving license, so the reality for us was waiting until he had the greencard to get a state ID (since I didn't know about the other one, or the alcohol law for that matter until recently). If you're on a trip, sure, carrying around a passport is something you would probably do, but for a whole year or more till you get your greencard?

[Mark&Steph 0]

I must just look really old as I've never been ID'd for beers... Although oddly enough (for someone from the UK who bought his first pack of smokes legally over a decade ago) I have for cigarettes a couple of times.

[featherB 1]

I think it's annoying sometimes that you are DEFINITLY older and have to show ID, especially in cases like you're out having a nice dinner with your SO and you have to show ID, and something like that happens "GC not valid, drink a coke instead". Argh!

Isn't the simple answer to this just to get a Drivers license or state ID? Surely it would save a lot of hassle.

I was really pleased when I got my state ID, thinking that I could finally prove my age without having to show my passport as ID and getting '####### is that?' looks from the occasional store clerk who'd evidently never seen one, and always having them stare at the thing suspiciously for ages, as if I'd go to all the trouble of making a fake passport just to buy a bottle of wine. Then, pretty much the first time I had to show my state ID, the guy made a huge fuss about how it says my eyes are green, but in his opinion they're 'brown' (they're not brown.... they're greeny-hazelly-freaky coloured, damn it! )... it's not even as though I can possibly look underage, I'm 31 years old! Just let me in the damned bar! He did eventually (and reluctantly) relent, but I seriously thought for a while there that he was going to decide my ID was fake and refuse to let me in.

Rant over, but... now every time I have to show my ID, I'm half expecting the same thing to happen again. Not a problem if they give in in the end, I suppose... just a bit of a pain in the #######. Which reminds me, a question... does the green card have all that height/eye colour/hair colour stuff on it that state IDs/driving licenses do? I don't want to get grief over having a 'fake' green card 'cos some over-enthusiastic ID-checker thinks my eyes are looking a little bit more hazel than green on any given day. Never occurred to me before that that would ever happen...

[Dr_LHA 3]

. Then, pretty much the first time I had to show my state ID, the guy made a huge fuss about how it says my eyes are green, but in his opinion they're 'brown' (they're not brown.... they're greeny-hazelly-freaky coloured, damn it! )...

Oddly enough, I had a similar issue, but not in a bar, in my AOS interview. I also have those colour eyes, and had green on my DL. The interviewer must have asked me the colour of my eyes 5 times in my interview.

Never had anyone bothered enough in a pub to seriously ask that question though. Jeez.

[Ladylethal 12]

I think it's annoying sometimes that you are DEFINITLY older and have to show ID, especially in cases like you're out having a nice dinner with your SO and you have to show ID, and something like that happens "GC not valid, drink a coke instead". Argh!

Isn't the simple answer to this just to get a Drivers license or state ID? Surely it would save a lot of hassle.

or carry a pasport when you are going to have a drink?

Even if I have a state ID, it's annoying to me, if a person definitly looks older, why ID them in the first place? I am used to Brazil, where, especially during summer, we walk to the beach with a little cash in our back pockets but no wallets, why? So we don't have to worry about documents while we're enjoying the day, at the beach or something. Documents are kind of a hassle when they're lost, and we don't want to risk having to go through it. So usually we do walk to the bakery or the beach without carrying an ID, and it's fine.

Sure you go to a club at night you'll get carded both to get in and to buy drinks, but you're expecting it, it's different.

Dunno, I am just NOT used to being carded everywhere I go. Btw, hubby and I are living here in PR and I buy beer at the market or gas station without being carded, no problem

[featherB 1]

. Then, pretty much the first time I had to show my state ID, the guy made a huge fuss about how it says my eyes are green, but in his opinion they're 'brown' (they're not brown.... they're greeny-hazelly-freaky coloured, damn it! )...

Oddly enough, I had a similar issue, but not in a bar, in my AOS interview. I also have those colour eyes, and had green on my DL. The interviewer must have asked me the colour of my eyes 5 times in my interview.

Never had anyone bothered enough in a pub to seriously ask that question though. Jeez.

That seems (to me) a very bizarre thing to ask over and over again at the interview - couldn't the interviewer see what colour your eyes are?! Not the kind of question you'd think they'd be hoping to catch someone out on... weird.

As for my eye colour/state ID incident... maybe the guy was just new at the job and super-keen or something, but maybe he should save it for the people who do actually look like they might conceivably be underage!

[Dr_LHA 3]

Even if I have a state ID, it's annoying to me, if a person definitly looks older, why ID them in the first place?

Depending on where you are, a liquor license can cost upwards of $50,000 and the cost of losing it can be immeasurable. Easier than to just card everyone just in case, rather than risk losing your business if the cops find underage drinkers in your bar/restaurant.

Part of living in the USA is learning to get over the fact that you get asked for ID all the time. Personally as someone over 30, I find it flattering now.

[Ladylethal 12]

If it's the law, fine, I am ok with it, but sometimes they go overboard with it, like GC is not acceptable, and the person is clearly over 50, and you still won't sell, it's like they do it just 'cus they can, a feeling of empowering perhaps, dunno.

[Sarah08 0]

Yesterday my husband and I went to Safeway to buy a bottle of wine.

They always ask for both people for ID.

My husband shows his driver's license and I show my Green Card, happt that I don't have to carry my passport around ( they always founf it hard to fing my DOB)

The girl behing the cash register says that my card isn't a valid ID and as a foreigner I need to show my passport.

Only because my husband was paying she allowed us to take the wine home ( I'm 31 by the way, so I don't look much like a minor either, my husband is even 5 yrs yonger than I )

A couple of months ago, another guy at CVS told me he couldn't sell me any wine, because he would get in trouble for selling it to someone without a state ID, so what's happening here???

Well, yeah, this is America. They can sell a gun to a sixteen year old, but they wouldn't sell a can of beer to an 18 year old. And let me tell you, it was not hard at all for Ede to get his driver's license. He walked into the DMV, paid $5, passed the test and walked out with his license in hand. I'm not sure if it's that easy or not in the state that you are in, but if you are interested in driving at all here, it's way easier than it is in Europe to get your license. Otherwise, a state ID card will be fine. Good luck!