NEWS
Next Year Domestic Air Travelers Will Need a REAL ID-Compliant Driver’s Licence
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Beginning May 3, 2023, every air traveler 18 years of age and older will need a REAL ID-compliant driver’s license, state-issued enhanced driver’s license, or another acceptable form of ID to fly within the United States.
REAL ID-compliant cards are marked with a star at the top of the card.
Air travel ID requirements change next May due to a federal law called the REAL ID Act. Don't show up at the airport unprepared! ✈️
— Washington State Department of Licensing (@WA_DOL) October 24, 2022
🔎 Learn more at https://t.co/306gj7ghhS.#RealID #AirTravel #AirportSecurity pic.twitter.com/MFoQvtNL7H
The REAL ID Act establishes minimum security standards for state-issued driver’s licenses and identification cards. It prohibits federal agencies, like the Transportation Security Administration, from accepting licenses and identification cards from states that do not meet these standards for official purposes. All 50 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, and four of five U.S. territories are covered by the REAL ID Act, which Congress passed in 2005 following a 9/11 Commission recommendation.
If you need to obtain a REAL ID, it is better to start the process before the deadline of May 3, 2023. A REAL ID-compliant card must be presented on or after this date as proof of identity to board commercial aircraft in the United States unless you use an acceptable alternative form of identification, such as a passport or passport card.
To obtain one, visit your state’s driver’s licensing agency website to find the documentation required to obtain a REAL ID. At a minimum, you must provide documentation showing: 1) Full Legal Name; 2) Date of Birth; 3) Social Security Number; 4) Two Proofs of Address of Principal Residence, and 5) Lawful Status.
