The deadline to acquire a REAL ID is nearing, following close to two decades of delays and adjournments.
Though initially told you would no longer be allowed to fly in the United States without a REAL ID or alternative TSA-approved means of identification come May 7, the top official at Homeland Security told Travelers Tuesday you will still be able to travel, but best be prepared to go through further procedures at TSA.
If you still haven’t obtained your REAL ID and are unsure about how to do so, or wondering why you even need one at all, here are a few things you should know:
What is a REAL ID?
It’s a federal compliant state-issued license or identification card that the DHS says is a more secure type of identification. That’s because it takes more personal documents to obtain a REAL ID than what’s needed to get an ordinary license.
In addition to needing a REAL ID to travel within the United States, you will also need one in order to enter certain federal buildings and facilities.
Why is this happening?
When the REAL ID Act was signed into law in 2005, it implemented a suggestion from the 9/11 Commission that the government establish security standards for state-issued driver’s licenses and IDs.
“REAL ID is a coordinated effort by the federal government to improve the reliability and accuracy of driver’s licenses and identification cards,” John Essig, the Transportation Security Administration’s Security Director for airports in the New York City region said in a press release on April 3. “The improvements are intended to inhibit terrorists’ ability to evade detection by using fraudulent identification.”
The REAL ID Act was supposed to begin rolling out in 2008, “but has faced repeated delays due to state implementation challenges and the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Nina Ruggiero, senior editorial director for Travel Leisure. “The combination of varying state processes and shifting deadlines has added to the overall confusion around REAL IDs and likely led some travelers to take the deadlines less seriously.”
How do I know if I already have a REAL ID?
If you’ve gotten a new ID in the last few years, it could already be REAL ID-compliant.
“I also hear from travelers who are confused as to whether or not they already have a REAL ID,” Ruggiero said. “Some people who have recently renewed their license may already have a compliant ID and not know it,” so you may want to double-check yours before starting the process.
A REAL ID-compliant driver’s license has a symbol ( in most states, a star ) in the top corner of the card.
If you reside in Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Vermont or Washington, you might have an “enhanced″ ID card instead, which allows you to fly within the country and travel across land and sea borders into Mexico and Canada from the US. It doesn’t, however, enable you to fly into either of those nations.
There will be an American flag symbol, as well as the term “enhanced” in the top center of the card.
If I don’t have a REAL ID, how do I get one?
The states require different things, so you’ll need to go to your state’s driver’s licensing agency website to learn specifically what you’ll need to do, including whether or not you’ll need an appointment at a DMV and what documents you’ll need to bring when you arrive.
What is going to happen on May 7?
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem declared on Tuesday that those who are still without an ID that meets the REAL ID law “may be routed to another line, have another step.”
Noem also announced that security checkpoints will be processing passports and tribal identification when the deadline arrives Wednesday instead of a REAL ID.
“But people will be allowed to fly,” she said. “We will make sure it’s as seamless as possible.”
The deadline has already been postponed so many times. Might it be postponed once more?
In mid-April, a few Kentucky state senators requested the agency postpone the application of the new requirements once more. They argued that the state has few appointments for individuals to apply for the new cards and that there was a rush to comply with the May 7 deadline.
The agency, though, does not plan to postpone the REAL ID deadline again, TSA spokesperson Dan Velez explained to the AP.
Through late April, 81% of passengers at TSA checkpoints were showing acceptable IDs, such as a state-issued REAL ID, DHS reported.
