Travelers who don’t have a Real ID, passport or other federally recognized document will face additional security screening at U.S. airports on Wednesday but will still be able to fly, Kristi Noem, the secretary of homeland security, said on Tuesday.
Her comments reiterated the department’s previous guidance to travelers, as a federal deadline to enforce the Real ID law approaches on Wednesday.
In addition to a star-emblazoned Real ID, other forms of acceptable identification include a U.S. passport, a Global Entry card, a Department of Defense ID or a permanent resident card, according to the Transportation Security Administration.
If travelers don’t have one of those forms of identification at airport checkpoints on Wednesday, “they may be diverted to a different line, have an extra step, but people will be allowed to fly,” Ms. Noem told House members at a hearing on Tuesday.
“We will make sure that it as seamless as possible and that travelers will get to stay on their intended itinerary,” Ms. Noem said. “But we are telling people that this law will be enforced and it will allow us to know individuals in this country — who they are and that they are authorized to travel.”
Travelers had been told that starting on Wednesday, a standard state-issued driver’s license alone would not be enough to fly with. But Ms. Noem’s comments indicated that the government was, at least initially, giving travelers some leeway.
Ms. Noem noted that Congress passed the Real ID law in 2005 and the Biden administration chose May 7, 2025, as the deadline to begin enforcing it after the government had repeatedly extended the deadline.
Ms. Noem said that 81 percent of travelers passing through T.S.A. checkpoints already have identification that complies with the Real ID law, which was enacted in response to the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
Investigators found that nearly all of the hijackers who boarded commercial planes that day were carrying U.S. driver’s licenses and state IDs, and that most of those documents had been obtained fraudulently.
To apply for a Real ID, people generally need to provide a Social Security number, verify their address with utility bills, bank statements or other documents, and prove their identity and legal status with additional documents, including a birth certificate or a passport.
As the deadline for enforcement of the law has approached, many people have been scrambling to secure appointments to get a Real ID, even though some already have passports or other acceptable identification. Some have said they prefer not to carry a passport because they worry it could be lost or stolen.
The law, officials acknowledge, has created some confusion among travelers and led to concerns about backups and delays at airports beginning on Wednesday. T.S.A. officials have recommended that anyone traveling with only a standard state-issued driver’s license on Wednesday give themselves an extra hour to pass through airport security.
“We have other ways to verify your identity if you don’t have a Real ID or acceptable form of ID but know that this process may take longer, so you’ll need to arrive at the airport early, and you should be good to go,” the T.S.A. said in a recent “Ask Me Anything” session on Reddit aimed at easing anxiety around the Wednesday deadline.
Michael Levenson covers breaking news for The Times from New York.
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