With the REAL ID deadline just over two weeks away, it’s easy to feel stressed out about your next visit to the airport. Starting May 7, travelers who don’t have a REAL ID-compliant form of identification won’t be allowed through TSA checkpoints at any US airport.
The new rules mean that travelers who want to use a driver’s license to board domestic flights will need an enhanced version of that ID to pass through TSA. However, did you know there are additional forms of identification that are compliant with the REAL ID rules, besides an enhanced driver’s license?
In fact, there are a handful of other common travel documents that can be used under the REAL ID rules, too—ones that airline passengers might already have in their possession. So, if you haven’t upgraded your license yet, rest assured that you have several other ID options that can still get you on board your next flight.
The most commonplace REAL ID alternative to a driver’s license is a US passport. All US passport books are deemed valid forms of airport identification under the REAL ID law, even for domestic flights. Travelers who have opted to carry a US passport card can also use that identification to get through airport security under the new rules. Additionally, passports issued by foreign governments are also accepted under the REAL ID law.
Another option are documents with the Department of Homeland Security’s Trusted Traveler programs. These include: Global Entry, which gives travelers an expedited lane through US airport Customs and Border Protection, as well a NEXUS, SENTRI, and FAST, which give members expedited processing when traveling between the US, Canada, and Mexico. Membership cards to any of these four Trusted Traveler programs will be accepted at TSA checkpoints once the REAL ID rules are in effect.
Importantly, if you’re in the process of updating your ID, and you have a paper temporary driver’s license, that is not considered an acceptable form of identification under the new rules. If all you have is a temporary license, reach for an alternative, REAL ID-compliant document.
Many other federal-issued photo IDs will be accepted at airport security as REAL ID-compliant, too. If you have any of the following federal documents, you can still bring them to the airport to board flights after the May 7 deadline:
- US 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
- 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)
If you don’t have an enhanced driver’s license or any of these alternative compliant forms of identification on or after May 7, you will most likely be turned away at the airport TSA checkpoint, according to the agency’s page on acceptable IDs. “Passengers who present a state-issued identification that is not REAL ID compliant and who do not have another acceptable alternative (i.e. Passport) can expect to face delays, additional screening and the possibility of not being permitted into the security checkpoint,” the agency says.
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