Driver's licenses issued in California and some other states will soon be rendered obsolete when it comes to travel.
According to KCRA, federally compliant state-issued Real IDs will be mandatory at TSA checkpoints nationwide by October 2020.
Federally-compliant California Real IDs will be available beginning at the start of 2018.
Currently, 25 states and Washington, D.C. have federally-compliant Real IDs while Maine, Missouri, Minnesota and Montana lack compliant state IDs.
As TravelPulse's Janeen Christoff pointed out back in February, California is one of the several states operating on an extension that allows federal agencies to accept noncompliant IDs.
"Secure driver's licenses and identification documents are a vital component of a holistic national security strategy," the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) states on its website.
"REAL ID is a coordinated effort by the states and the Federal Government to improve the reliability and accuracy of state-issued identification documents, which should inhibit terrorists' ability to evade detection by using fraudulent identification."
Making the switch to a federally-compliant California ID will be a bit of a nuisance, according to KCRA. Residents will have to go to the DMV and apply in person. Applicants can also expect to shell out $33 for a Real ID driver's license.
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Meanwhile, residents in Kentucky, Maine, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina and Washington are running out of time. Starting January 22, 2018, residents of those states will need an alternate ID in order to fly in the U.S.
Air travelers without a Real ID past the deadline could still fly with a passport, a permanent resident card, a U.S. Military ID and other DHS-approved documents.
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