Real ID, ETIAS are postponed
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TRAVELERS HAVE myriad things to worry about because of the coronavirus, but federally compliant driver’s licenses and new paperwork that would have been required to enter more than two dozen European countries are not among them for now. Both have been postponed. First, the implementation of Real ID, the federally compliant driver’s license that was supposed to be required for boarding a domestic flight beginning Oct. 1 (if you didn’t use a passport or some other acceptable identification) has been postponed until Oct. 1, 2021.
The desire for a more secure form of identification is based on legislation that became law in 2005 on the recommendation of the 9/11 Commission. Its implementation has been postponed several times, but an Oct. 1, 2020, deadline seemed firm until the coronavirus outbreak.
Even before then, concerns surfaced about the readiness of the flying public. A study by the U.S. Travel Assn. released in the fall showed that most Americans didn’t understand what the requirement was or didn’t know whether they had a Real ID.
Other obstacles popped up. California thought it had the OK to issue Real ID using an address verification process similar to one used in Wisconsin. Both states had received permission from the Department of Homeland Security. But DHS then changed its mind late in 2018.
Other bumps along the way to Real ID included passports that wouldn’t scan, meaning some residents had to resort to certified birth certificates. If a name had changed because of, say, a marriage, a marriage certificate was required (or several certificates depending on the number of marriages and name changes). Long waits for an appointment at the DMV also became an issue. In-person appointments are required for Real ID.
DMV offices closed last week.
ETIAS ON HOLD
Additional paperwork for American travelers, known as the European Travel Information and Authorization System, was to have been required for 26 countries beginning next year, but that date has been postponed until late 2022.
Although the paperwork is often referred to as a visa, the European Commission rejects that descriptor. U.S. citizens are not required to obtain a visa to visit Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.
The preauthorization, which would cost about $8, is a security precaution to help European countries secure borders.