The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) will begin enforcing a law Wednesday that requires travelers to have a Real ID to board domestic flights.
Currently, over 80% of passengers at TSA checkpoints are using a Real ID or other acceptable form of identification, a spokesperson for the TSA told Skift.
Travelers without one will still be able to fly but should be prepared for extra scrutiny, the head of Homeland Security said Tuesday. Passengers “may be diverted to a different line, have an extra step,” Noem said, according to the Associated Press. “But people will be allowed to fly,” she said. “We will make sure it’s as seamless as possible.”
What Exactly Is a Real ID?
It’s an enhanced ID card that can only be obtained with, at a minimum, documentation showing a person’s full legal name, date of birth, Social Security number, two proofs of address of principal residence, and lawful status.
This could include documents like a passport or birth certificate, utility bills, credit card statements or rental agreements.
Why Now?
The Real ID Act was passed by Congress in 2005 to improve security in the aftermath of 9/11.
The original deadline to have a Real ID was May 2008. But various challenges, including funding, and more recently, the Covid-19 pandemic, led to the government delaying its implementation.
How Does it Impact Travel?
Real ID doesn’t replace the use of a passport for international travel, including for border crossings into Canada and Mexico.
Travelers who present state-issued identification that isn’t Real ID compliant can “expect to face delays, additional screening and the possibility of not being permitted into the security checkpoint,” the TSA said.
The TSA spokesperson told Skift that the agency would enforce Real ID “in a manner that minimizes the impact on overall operations.”
Yet appointments have been hard to come by in the rush to secure a Real ID. Local media reported long lines at motor vehicle offices in New York State and Maine.
Speaking at a press conference last week, Pennsylvania’s secretary of transportation, Michael Carroll, said the rush was “a real challenge for us right now because folks have waited until the last minute.”
“We have tens of thousands of folks weekly that are showing up at our driver’s licence centers to get the Real ID,” Carroll said.
The centers have been kept open for extended hours to meet the rush.
Most states aren’t fully compliant yet. A recent CBS News analysis conducted in April showed that in at least 17 states, fewer than 50% of IDs were compliant with the law. New Jersey had the lowest compliance rate in the nation — just 17% of its state-issued IDs were Real IDs.
What Other Forms of ID Will Be Accepted?
If a person doesn’t have a Real ID or it hasn’t arrived on time for the deadline, the TSA will also accept other forms of ID:
- U.S. passport
- U.S. passport card
- DHS trusted traveler cards (Global Entry, NEXUS, SENTRI, FAST)
- U.S. Department of Defense ID, including IDs issued to dependents
- Permanent resident card
- Border crossing card
- An acceptable photo ID issued by a federally recognized Tribal Nation/Indian Tribe, including Enhanced Tribal Cards (ETCs).
- 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)
