Yesterday was the deadline requiring travelers to have a driver's license that complies with the REAL ID Act in order to board commercial flights.
The REAL ID Act was passed in 2005 and was intended to set minimum security standards for license issuance. The purposes covered by the Act are: accessing Federal facilities, entering nuclear power plants, and, no sooner than 2016, boarding federally regulated commercial aircraft.
Starting January 22, 2018, travelers who did not have a license from a compliant state or a state that has been granted an extension would be asked to provide alternate identification. If the travelers could not provide an acceptable form of identification, they would not be permitted through the security checkpoint. Even still, enforcement doesn't start until:
- February 5, 2018, for American Samoa.
- October 10, 2018, for states that have been granted an extension.
- October 1, 2020, for people living in states that are already REAL ID compliant.
- An Enhanced Driver's Licence (issued in the states of Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Vermont, and Washington) can be used as identification for purposes of commercial air travel but does not make those states REAL ID compliant.
Clear as mud, right?
This map will help.
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