US citizens and residents generally use their state driver’s licenses or state issued non-drivers IDs to board US domestic commercial airline flights.
Looming in the near future for air travelers is the Real ID Act of 2005. The law sets requirements for ID cards accepted by the federal government for “official purposes,” including state driver’s licenses, as defined by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). In December, 2013, DHS announced it would begin phasing in the law beginning in January, 2014.
Real ID’s “phase 4” implementation, which requires Real ID-compliant IDs for boarding US domestic commercial fights, is set to begin on or after January 1, 2016, less than three months from today.
Right now, Louisiana, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New York, and the territory of American Samoa driver’s licenses aren’t in compliance with the Real ID law according to DHS. (New York has a compliant “enhanced” driver’s license for $30 more than their standard license.) If DHS would require Real ID compliant driver’s licenses to fly today, residents of those states and American Samoa would have to provide an alternate photo ID or be denied boarding.
Fortunately, DHS states,
“DHS will ensure the public has ample advanced notice before identification requirements for boarding aircraft change. That notice will include information on the process for individuals with a non-compliant driver’s license or identification card to be able to travel by aircraft.”
As per their summary of DHS Real ID enforcement, DHS will give the flying public at least three months advance notice. If that’s all the notice DHS gives, it might not be enough time for air travelers to obtain a compliant ID, especially if there are massive numbers of “last minute” applications.
For those in states whose driver’s licenses aren’t Real ID compliant, according to TSA (Transportation Security Administration), a DHS agency, air travelers can obtain IDs which comply, including: US passports and passport cards, DHS Trusted Traveler cards such as Global Entry, and other IDs.
These compliant IDs can’t be obtained overnight. For example, at this time it takes three weeks to get a passport with expedited service, which costs at least $195. That presupposes you already have the required evidence of citizenship, plus a Photo ID and passport photos. If you have to obtain a certified birth certificate from the state in which you were born, for example, that could take a month or more. A passport card has the same documentation requirements as a passport and takes just as long to obtain. It’s just less expensive.
A three-month warning, for many, might be enough time to obtain a Real ID-compliant ID to fly in the US domestically.
The problem of needing Real ID-compliant IDs in early 2016 may be far more widespread than just Louisiana, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New York, and American Samoa. An additional 28 states and US territories, while not having a problem now, aren’t really compliant with Real ID, according to DHS. Those states currently have a Real ID law extension permitting TSA to accept their state driver’s licenses despite not conforming to the Real ID law.
Eventually, those exemptions will expire. Unless the exemptions are renewed, when they expire, if their driver’s licenses don’t comply with the Real ID law, travelers from those states and territories will be in the same situation as New Hampshire’s drivers, whose extension already expired.
If you’re from Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Guam, Idaho, Illinois, Kentucky, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, Montana, New Hampshire, New Jersey New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, N. Marianas, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia, Virgin Islands, and Washington, be aware your state driver’s license is permitted only because of an extension that will eventually time-out.
Some states, like Pennsylvania, with a compliance extension, will certainly not have a Real ID- compliant driver’s license by the time the extension expires. In 2012, Governor Tom Corbett signed a Pennsylvania law rejecting compliance with the Real ID law. Alaska, Arizona, and Idaho have passed similar laws.
I live in one of the states with a Real ID law compliance extension. It’s unlikely my state will be in compliance by the time its extension expires. I’m already prepared. As an international traveler, I have a US passport, passport card, and Global Entry card.
If your state or territory doesn’t have a compliant driver’s license or non-drivers photo ID, and you don’t have an alternate compliant ID, such as a passport, you need to be prepared to comply with the law on your own.
If you have no intention of ever traveling internationally, then a passport card would likely be your best bet, as it’s a lot less expensive than a US passport — $55 versus $135 with standard processing. I suggest you ensure you have the documents required for a passport card or other compliant ID on hand in case you need to quickly obtain one, as such documents, including a certified state or territory birth certificate, can take real time to obtain.
(Image: United Airlines flight landing at Philadelphia International Airport, Copyright © 2015 NSL Photography. All Rights Reserved.)
After many years working in corporate America as a chemical engineer, executive and eventually CFO of a multinational manufacturer, Ned founded a tech consulting company and later restarted NSL Photography, his photography business. Before entering the corporate world, Ned worked as a Public Health Engineer for the Philadelphia Department of Public Health. As a well known corporate, travel and wildlife photographer, Ned travels the world writing about travel and photography, as well as running photography workshops, seminars and photowalks. Visit Ned’s Photography Blog and Galleries.
