Travelers Have One Year to Comply With REAL ID Requirements

Update: May 4, 2022 at 9:10 a.m. ET

U.S. Travel Association Executive Vice President of Public Affairs and Policy Tori Emerson Barnes issued the following statement calling on the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to delay the implementation of the REAL ID Act, which is set to take full effect one year from today on May 3, 2023:

“U.S. Travel supports the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s push to educate individuals on the need to acquire a REAL ID, but we also recognize that the pandemic created a significant hurdle to the widespread adoption of REAL ID. As we look ahead to next year’s deadline, it is clear that Americans will not be ready for full implementation.”

“We are calling on DHS to delay implementation or develop an alternative screening process for travelers with a legacy ID to ensure that air travelers and the industry’s recovery are not impeded. The delay should last until measures are in place to prevent a scenario in which travelers are turned away at airport security checkpoints.”

Travelers now have one year to comply with the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) REAL ID full enforcement date of May 3, 2023.

Last year, the DHS announced the ongoing coronavirus pandemic impacted the ability for states to issue REAL ID-compliant driver’s licenses and identification cards. As a result, the agency extended the enforcement date by 19 months to May 3, 2023.

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Starting next year, every air traveler 18 years of age and older will need a REAL ID card, state-issued enhanced driver’s license or another Transportation Security Administration (TSA)-acceptable form of identification at airport security checkpoints for domestic air travel.

All 50 states, the District of Columbia and four of five U.S. territories covered by the REAL ID Act and related regulations are now compliant with security standards and are issuing the approved driver’s licenses and identification cards.

“The REAL ID law is for all Americans who want to fly out of any domestic airport across the country starting one year from now,” TSA Federal Security Director Gerardo Spero said. “My advice is to go to your local state’s department of motor vehicles or department of transportation to get your upgraded REAL ID driver’s license now. Don’t wait.”

Customers can obtain a REAL ID by presenting documents for verification and processing at any driver’s license center, including proof of identity, Social Security number, current address and all legal name changes.

To obtain a REAL ID, travelers pay a one-time fee of $30, plus the applicable renewal fee. The expiration date of their initial REAL ID product will include any time remaining on their existing form of identification, plus an additional four years.