Prepping travelers for upcoming REAL ID deadline
The deadline for the REAL ID Act, which requires travelers carrying a driver’s license from certain U.S. states and territories to carry a second U.S. government-approved form of ID, is January 22, 2018.
States that were previously non-compliant must meet federal requirements to add extra security features to their driver’s licenses by the deadline. Travelers who reside in a non-compliant state could be impacted and will soon be required to use an alternative approved ID, which include a U.S. passport or a military ID in addition to their state-issued driver’s license.
What should you do?
Check the compliance status of your state or territory. If your state or territory is not compliant, you must use a U.S. Transportation Security Administration’s approved list of acceptable IDs when you board domestic flights.
While 27 states and territories are currently non-compliant, all but six have been granted extensions. Illinois, Minnesota, Missouri, New Mexico, Washington and American Samoa are non-compliant but do not have extensions. By October 2020, all air travelers will be required to carry a REAL ID-compliant license OR another acceptable form of identification to travel domestically by air.
For background and additional information about the REAL ID act, check out the Transportation Security Administration’s FAQs about the REAL ID program, and see TSA’s enforcement schedule and list of compliant states.