REAL ID is officially in effect nationwide and immediately impacts all domestic air travelers. What happens if you don’t have the proper identification?
Why It Matters
All 50 states, in addition to federal government agencies including the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Transportation Security Administration (TSA), have for months encouraged Americans who intend to travel by air to possess the proper identification to pass through airport security and board aircraft, minimize lines at airports and lessen security protocol demands.
What To Know
Congress passed the REAL ID Act in 2005, enacting the 9/11 Commission’s recommendation that the federal government “set standards for the issuance of sources of identification, such as driver’s licenses.”
Americans and permanent residents have been told they will only be able to pass through airport security or enter some federal government buildings if they have a REAL ID or another valid form of identification, such as a passport or Enhanced Driver’s Licenses and identification cards (EDL/EID) issued in the following states: Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Vermont and Washington.
During a congressional oversight hearing on Tuesday, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said that 81 percent of airline travelers in the U.S. today are already compliant.
“What will happen tomorrow is folks will come through the line and will issue their ID and show it,” Noem said. “If it’s not compliant, they may be diverted to a different line, have an extra step.
“We recognize that this is a security issue. Congress has had many, many years to reevaluate it and decide if they wanted to change the law or to stop it. The Biden administration chose that it should go into place on May 7, and we intend to follow the law.”
Noem assured that the transition with the new forms of identification “will be as seamless as possible” and not interrupt travelers’ itineraries, adding that government officials, due to this law, will know which individuals are authorized to travel.
DHS issued the following guidance on its website:
“Passengers who present a state-issued identification that is not REAL ID compliant and who do not have another acceptable alternative (i.e. Passport) can expect to face delays, additional screening and the possibility of not being permitted into the security checkpoint.”
Gad Allon, a professor at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, told Newsweek that he expects the initial rollout of REAL ID to result in a “mess” for travelers.
“People are going to stand in line, only to realize that they don’t have the right ID,” Allon said. “Any additional time the TSA agents have to spend on dealing with any person is going to take time.
“Unless the TSA is going to significantly increase its staffing for that week, even spending one more minute on each person that doesn’t have a REAL ID and explaining what they need to do next, is going to increase the waiting time for everyone involved. If you can, avoid flying that week.”
What People Are Saying
A Minnesota Department of Public Safety spokesperson to Newsweek: “An enhanced driver’s license (EDL) is one of three license or ID choices offered by Minnesota and comes with additional benefits compared to a standard license or REAL ID. Because EDLs meet and even exceed all the federal criteria for a REAL ID, they are considered a REAL ID-compliant license.
“They have the same gold star that indicates a REAL ID and are federally approved as acceptable documentation to fly domestically after May 7. EDLs are REAL ID compliant regardless of what state they are presented in.”
A TSA spokesperson previously told Newsweek: “We are actively encouraging passengers who do not have either a state-issued REAL ID or another acceptable form of ID to give themselves plenty of time for additional screening at TSA checkpoints.”
What Happens Next
If your current identification is not REAL ID-compliant and you intend to travel by air, you must make an appointment with your local office and bring your current form of ID, a valid, unexpired U.S. passport, birth certificate, or other proof of legal presence document, and a certified legal name-change document if your name is different from what is on your birth certificate.
The post REAL ID Deadline: What Happens if You Try to Fly Without One appeared first on Newsweek.
