The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is reminding travelers that starting October 1, 2020, you must have a REAL ID-compliant driver’s license to fly within the United States.
The TSA hopes to help every traveler prepare for the changes with a new public awareness campaign. They want to ensure every traveler is prepared for the airport security checkpoint process by October 2020.
As part of this campaign, new signs are being put into place at airports across the country, reminding travelers that REAL ID-compliant licenses will be mandatory for air travel next year. Other acceptable forms of ID include a valid passport, federal government PIV card, or US military ID. Travelers who don’t have one of these methods of verification on October 1, 2020, won’t be permitted to travel within the US.
Most REAL ID-compliant licenses are marked by a star on the top of the card. If you’re not sure your ID is compliant, you can check with your state driver’s license agency.
The REAL ID Act was passed back in 2005, in compliance with the 9/11 Commission’s recommendation that the federal government “set standards for the issuance of sources of identification, such as driver’s licenses.”
The Act set security standards for state-issued driver’s licenses and identification cards, and established the deadline of October 1, 2020, to ensure full enforcement of the Act by that date. Almost 15 years later, that deadline is quickly approaching.
“TSA is doing everything we can to prepare our partners and the traveling public for the REAL ID deadline next year,” TSA Administrator David Pekoske said in the TSA National Press Release. “The security requirements of the REAL ID Act will dramatically enhance and improve commercial aviation security.”
For more information about flying with a REAL ID and to download and print informational materials, visit tsa.gov/real-id.