Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem‘s much-hyped “REAL ID” D-Day is here, but those without proper identification are not feeling “even a hint of extra pain.”
That is welcome news for travelers, as long security lines and extra screenings were anticipated for Wednesday, but it has added additional confusion on when Noem will actually require a REAL ID to fly domestically—something she threatened last month would be required starting May 7.
Transportation Security Administration checkpoints across the U.S. are handing out a red pamphlet to those without a REAL ID and giving them a soft warning that, should they remain non-compliant the next time they travel, they “may expect delays.” That is merely a slap on the wrist, at most, compared to earlier warnings from Noem.
REAL ID AT BNA: If travelers do not have a REAL ID, they will receive this red card at TSA — some of those individuals may be pulled for additional screening, but not all. @WKRN ✈️ pic.twitter.com/1OM7ARjm9U
— Peyton Kennedy (@peytonTVkennedy) May 7, 2025
Kyle Potter, a journalist at the travel blog Thrifty Traveler, reported that he did not suffer any delays while flying without a REAL ID through Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport or Denver International Airport on Wednesday morning.
He wrote of his experience in Minnesota: “Through security in 4 minutes with little more than a stern reminder: ‘This is going to get very complicated for you very soon. To the point where you might not be allowed to fly.’ And this slip. But not even a hint of extra pain for those without REAL ID.”
The result? Through security in 4 minutes with little more than a stern reminder: “This is going to get very complicated for you very soon. To the point where you might not be allowed to fly.”And this slip. But not even a hint of extra pain for those without Real ID pic.twitter.com/HFfKGv078m
— Kyle Potter (@kpottermn) May 7, 2025
That experience is far from what Noem warned Americans of a month ago.
“Starting May 7, you will need a REAL ID to travel by air or to visit federal buildings in the United States,” she said in a video shared to her social media, giving no indication there was any wiggle room for those who were not compliant on day one.
Noem walked back that statement this week, however. She said Tuesday that those who still do not have a REAL ID, which the Associated Press reports is about one in every five Americans, could still travel on Wednesday but should expect delays and additional screening.
Many flying on Wednesday morning did not see signs of these supposed extra steps.
Dan Primack, of Axios, reported Wednesday: “From what I can tell at LAX, the plan for people without REAL ID is to give them a small piece of paper about Real ID and then let them through.”
Newsday reporter Matthew Chayes reported he had the same experience at LaGuardia Airport in New York City.
“At LaGuardia Airport, lacking a REAL ID yields a leaflet and an admonition to go get one soon but no additional security screening,” he said.
At LaGuardia Airport, lacking a REAL ID yields a leaflet and an admonition to go get one soon but no additional security screening. pic.twitter.com/JdFqnWlMOW
— Matthew Chayes (@chayesmatthew) May 7, 2025
Another reporter shared a photo of the pamphlet being handed out in Nashville, where security lines were moving as they normally would on a Wednesday morning.
A 24-year-old without a REAL ID who flew out of Minneapolis on Wednesday told USA Today he had to endure an extra five minutes of screening.
“I wanted to get in early so I could avoid whatever extra checks they need to do for not having REAL ID,” said Park Schulte. “It was like an extra five minutes. They just swabbed some of the stuff in my bag.”
Schulte said he was told that TSA agents across the country can choose to enforce the rule more strictly on a case-by-case basis, which is sure to leave those in marginalized groups feeling extra uneasy if they still do not have a REAL ID.
The Daily Beast could not find any reports of a traveler being denied boarding for a domestic flight on Wednesday morning because they did not have a REAL ID.
A REAL ID requirement to fly has been repeatedly delayed since the first Trump administration set an initial deadline of Oct. 2020. Different deadlines were put in place during Joe Biden’s term, but were pushed back each time.
Noem, 53, was adamant she would end the delays. She has technically done that, but appears to have given the requirement an indefinite soft launch that will surely add further confusion on what date the lack of a REAL ID will actually keep Americans out of the air.
“‘Enforcement’ of Real ID is increasingly just looking like a campaign to remind people to get one,” Potter said Wednesday after passing through security twice without one. “Which begs the question: Shouldn’t this have happened already?”
Those without a REAL ID can eliminate any chance of delays by providing security agents with a passport, passport card, DHS trusted traveler card, Department of Defense ID, permanent resident card, border crossing card, or employment authorization card, among other documents.
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