Most adults catching a flight in the U.S. starting May 7 will be required to present a passport or an upgraded state-issued identification card that meets federal REAL ID standards.
The requirement is 20 years in the making, but with just weeks to go, not everyone is ready for it.
Officials in at least one state have requested another extension before enforcement begins.
Here’s what you need to know:
What is REAL ID?
It’s a driver’s license or other state-issued ID that meets security requirements mandated in a 2005 law passed in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
Obtaining an ID with the designation — indicated by a white star in a yellow circle in most states — means taking more documents to the motor vehicle agency than most states require for regular IDs.
The program has already been delayed several times by states that weren’t prepared to offer the IDs, people being slow to update their documents and by the coronavirus pandemic. With those hurdles mostly passed, the government is set to require the new IDs rather than old state drivers licenses and IDs for commercial air travel starting May 7.
People will also be required to carry the new IDs or a passport to enter secure federal facilities such as military bases or to get into nuclear power plants.
Is the country ready?
It’s clear not everyone is. But it’s less clear whether the nation is prepared.
The Department of Homeland Security said in a report earlier this year that 56% of IDs in circulation nationally met the requirements as of January 2024. In 16 states, more than three in five IDs met the new standards, while the number was below two out of five in 22 states.
About 81% of people flying recently have shown ID that would work once the new requirements kick in, according to a recent statement by Homeland Security.
A group of state senators from Kentucky this week asked the agency to delay implementing the new requirements yet again. They said the state has limited appointments available to people seeking the new cards and that there has been a rush to meet the May 7 deadline.
Dan Velez, a spokesperson for the Transportation Security Administration, said Thursday that the agency does not intend to delay the REAL ID again.
Do you need a REAL ID, and if so, how do you get one?
People who don’t fly or visit military bases or other sites where the IDs are required may not need new identification. People who have photo IDs from federally recognized tribal nations don’t need anything new. Employment authorization green cards are already acceptable, as are some other less common identifying documents on the government’s list.
REAL ID is not required to drive, vote or receive state or federal services or benefits.
Still, a lot of people may need one.
The enhanced cards have been available for years from every U.S. state and territory’s motor vehicle agency. People who haven’t obtained one by May 7 can still apply after that.
The Department of Homeland Security website links to information in each state on scheduling appointments and lists the documents needed.
But appointments can be hard to come by. None of the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission offices had REAL ID appointments available as of Thursday afternoon. The same was true for most Illinois Department of Motor Vehicle sites.
And in some states, the May 7 deadline might not be a big deal. In Florida and Texas, for instance, all drivers licenses are REAL ID compliant, so anyone who has a current one can use it to fly domestically.
