REAL ID DEADLINE HITS: U.S. DOMESTIC AIR TRAVELERS MUST SHOW NEW ID STARTING WEDNESDAY
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has announced that beginning Wednesday, May 7, American citizens and residents will be required to present a REAL ID-compliant form of identification to board domestic flights.
DHS Secretary Kristi Noem made the announcement on Tuesday during a House Appropriations Committee hearing, assuring the public that the transition would be handled smoothly. “We will make sure it’s as seamless as possible,” she said.
Travelers who do not have a REAL ID will face additional screening at airports across the country.
The REAL ID is a federally approved, DMV-issued driver’s license or identification card that meets security standards set by the 2005 Real ID Act. Standard driver’s licenses and state IDs that do not comply with these federal standards will no longer be accepted for domestic flights.
This marks the full enforcement of a nearly 20-year-old federal law aimed at tightening security in the nation’s air travel system.
