The Department of Homeland Security has delayed the deadline for a third time for air travelers to have a REAL ID for the program which was originally to commence in May 2023.
The REAL ID deadline was first set for October 1, 2020, but it was extended a year to October 1, 2021. As expected, this was due to the COVID-19 which kept people sheltered for most of the pandemic. Subsequent to that a second deadline extension was announced brining the deadline to May 3, 2023.
This third deadline extension is important as the REAL ID rules substantiate that all flyers over the age of 18 must have a REAL ID driver’s license or other federally approved ID card for flying domestically. Without this REAL ID, American travelers will be literally grounded.
The REAL ID Act establishes minimum security standards for license issuance and production and prohibits certain federal agencies from accepting for certain purposes driver’s licenses and identification cards from states not meeting the Act’s minimum standards. The purposes covered by the Act are: accessing certain federal facilities, entering nuclear power plants, and, boarding federally regulated commercial aircraft.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced on December 20, 2013, a phased enforcement plan for the REAL ID Act (the Act), as passed by Congress, that will implement the Act in a measured, fair, and responsible way.
“On May 7, 2025, U.S. travelers must be REAL ID compliant to board domestic flights and access certain federal facilities.”
Secure driver’s licenses and identification documents are a vital component of our national security framework. The REAL ID Act, passed by Congress in 2005, enacted 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 established minimum security standards for license issuance and production and prohibits certain federal agencies from accepting for certain purposes driver’s licenses and identification cards from states not meeting the Act’s minimum standards.
DHS is committed to enforcing the REAL ID Act in accordance with the phased enforcement schedule and regulatory timeframes. It has been 16 years since the REAL ID Act was passed and half of all the states have already met the REAL ID minimum standards.
