Documents

Passport

A passport is obviously required when travelling to countries outside of the United States.

In mom's case, her passport became her primary identification when I was working with notaries and attorneys.  When signing legal documents and contracts, such as a Power of Attorney, mom's valid passport was useful since her driver's license was expired.  Since mom was blind and could no longer drive her car, having a valid license was no longer important to her. 

But having valid identification became important during the last year of her life.

Important Documents

Check your loved one's identification documents and make sure they are current.  It's always a good idea to have at least two different ID's (such as a valid driver's license and a current passport) just in case the authority you are working with requires more than one ID.