The US is implementing the REAL ID Act on May 7, 2025, ensuring that US travellers are REAL ID compliant to board domestic flights and access certain federal facilities.
Starting May 7, all US travellers for domestic flights will need a Real ID to fly. Real IDs make identification harder to forge. If you plan to fly, make sure you get a Real ID so you won’t be denied from your flight or face travel delays!
Passengers traveling after this enforcement deadline should either travel with an acceptable alternative form of ID, like a passport, or enroll for a state-issued REAL ID through their state DMV offices.
After the implementation of the REAL ID Act, the federal agencies, including the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Transportation Security Administration (TSA), may only accept state-issued driver’s licenses and identification cards as identification for purposes of accessing federal facilities, including TSA airport security checkpoints.
Further, the license or identification card has to be issued by a REAL ID-compliant state by the REAL ID security standards, which means the license or card must include the REAL ID-compliant star marking.
REAL ID allows compliant states to issue driver’s licenses and identification cards where the identity of the applicant cannot be assured or for whom lawful presence is not determined.
In fact, some states currently issue noncompliant cards to undocumented individuals. Noncompliant cards must clearly state on their face and in the machine-readable zone that they are not acceptable for REAL ID purposes and must use a unique design or color to differentiate them from compliant cards.
DHS cautions against assuming that possession of a noncompliant card indicates the holder is an undocumented individual, given that individuals may obtain noncompliant cards for many reasons unrelated to lawful presence. Possession of a noncompliant card does not indicate that the holder is an undocumented individual, given that individuals may obtain noncompliant cards for many reasons unrelated to lawful presence.
However, Most Enhanced Driver’s Licenses (EDL) issued by Washington, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, and Vermont are considered acceptable alternatives to REAL ID-compliant cards and will also be accepted for official REAL ID purposes despite not containing the star marking.
State Enhanced Driver’s Licenses (EDL) designated as acceptable border-crossing documents by DHS under the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI) are acceptable for official federal purposes (i.e., boarding a commercial aircraft, accessing a federal facility, or entering a nuclear power plant).
However, the existence of an EDL is not sufficient to consider the state to be in overall compliance to determine whether a federal agency may accept a state’s regular driver’s license for official purposes. For example, a federal agency could accept an EDL issued by a state but not be able to accept a standard driver’s license from that same state.
As of today, all states, the District of Columbia, and the 5 territories are REAL ID compliant and issuing REAL ID-compliant driver’s licenses and IDs
The DHS website states – If you are traveling internationally, you will still need your passport. If you are traveling domestically, you will only need one valid form of identification – either your REAL ID or another acceptable alternative, such as a passport, not both.
The non-U.S. citizens are only eligible to receive a temporary (limited-term) REAL ID- ID-compliant driver’s license or identification card with a validity period no longer than the period of authorized stay in the United States. These categories of individuals in a “temporary lawful status” as defined in the REAL ID regulations include a person who is a nonimmigrant or has a pending application for lawful permanent resident or conditional permanent resident status.