Domestic travelers will soon need Real ID to fly
By: Amaris Encinas
USA Today
..... Have plans to get away next summer? [2025] Well, you won't be able to get off the ground unless your identification documents have the Real ID stamp of approval.
.....
The Federal Department of Homeland Security previously set an official May [2025] deadline for Real ID, urging all travelers interested in domestic travel in 2025 and beyond to make sure that any state issued identification cards or driver's license have a Real ID seal.
..... The Real ID deadline might be eight months away, but it's not too early to head over to your state motor vehicle office to make sure you are set to fly free and clear across the country by May 7, 2025.
..... Any state-issued identification document without the federal seal fails to adhere to the "minimum security standards" set by the Real ID Act of 2005, preventing you from accessing a federal facility or flying domestically.
..... The law was originally set to take effect in 2002 but was pushed back until May 2025 over "backlogged transactions" at motor vehicle offices nationwide as a result of COVID-19 pandemic. USA today reported.
..... The mountains of paperwork, according to DHS, impacted agencies' ability to make any real progress on the Real ID roll-out. But this time, the deadline is really real. That means federal agencies , including the Transpiration Security Administration, will not be able to accept driver's licenses and identification cards that are not Real ID compliant, according to DHS.
..... Any traveler over the age of 18 who does not have another TSA-approved form of identification to fly domestically must have a Real ID compliant identification card or driver's license by May 7, 2025. If you already have another TSA-approved from of identification, then you probably don't need a Real ID.
.....
Other TSA-approved alternatives include:
* State issued enhanced driver's license.
* DHS trusted traveler cards (Global Entry, NEXUS SENTRL, FAST)
* U.S. Department of Defense ID, including IDs issued to dependents
* Border crossing card
* An acceptable photo ID issued by a federally recognized tribal Nation/Indian Tribe.
* HSPD-12 PIV card
* Foreign government-issued passport.
* Canadian provincial driver's license or Indian and Northern Affairs Canada card.
* Transportation worker identification credential.
* U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Employment Authorization Card (I-766).
* U.S. Merchant Mariner Credential
* Veteran Health Identification Card (VHIC).
..... You can obtain a Real ID driver's license or identification card from your nearest motor vehicle office. It takes about 15 business days to get you Real ID or Enhanced Driver's License form your state's Motor Vehicle Department.
..... All Real IDs will have a stamp on the right-hand corner to show that it is federally compliant.
..... Enhanced IDs are only issued in a few states, including Washington, Michigan, Minnesota, New York and Vermont, are they considered acceptable alternatives to REAL ID-compliant cards, DHS said.