Checking Identification and Acceptable ID Documents
What the exam tests
This domain covers which documents are acceptable proof of age in Pennsylvania, how to read them, and how to spot a fake or borrowed ID.
Core rules
- Acceptable ID in Pennsylvania: a valid Pennsylvania driver's license, a Pennsylvania photo ID card, a U.S. passport or passport card, a U.S. military ID, or a valid out-of-state driver's license or state ID.
- Every acceptable ID must show a photo, a birth date, and a physical description, and must be current. An expired ID is not acceptable proof of age.
- A vertical Pennsylvania license indicates the holder was under 21 when it was issued. Read the date of birth; do not judge by orientation alone.
- Check four things at once: the photo matches the face, the birth date makes the person 21 today or older, the card is not expired, and the physical features match the description.
- Fake-ID tells: uneven laminate, mismatched fonts, a birth date that makes the person exactly 21, a description that does not fit, a rehearsed presentation, or an ID from a state the person cannot describe.
- When an ID is questionable, ask for a second document and involve a manager. Never accuse; simply decline the sale.
Worked example
A customer hands over a vertical Pennsylvania license. The date of birth is exactly 21 years ago today, so the person is legally 21 and may be served, provided the photo matches and the card is valid. If the same license showed a birth date three weeks in the future, the sale would be refused. If the card had been expired for a month, it would also be refused, because an expired document is not acceptable proof.
Traps that cost marks
- Accepting an expired license because the birth date looks fine.
- Treating a vertical license as automatic proof of being under 21 without doing the math.
- Refusing only on appearance while ignoring a valid ID, or accepting a clearly altered ID to avoid conflict.
- Grabbing or confiscating an ID without following house policy and, where appropriate, police guidance.