U.S. flyers will need right license
It’s a change nearly 20 years in the making: a post-Sept. 11 law requiring U.S. travelers to carry more than a standard driver’s license to board a domestic flight. Now, after years of delays, it is finally kicking into gear.
Beginning May 3, U.S. travelers flying within the country will need to show Transportation Security Administration agents either a security-enhanced driver’s license that’s Real ID-compliant or another TSA-approved form of identification, such as a passport. A state driver’s license that does not contain the Real ID seal will no longer be accepted.
What is Real ID?
Real ID is a driver’s license or ID card that bears a special seal, which signifies that the bearer has been screened and approved according to a standard set by the federal government, rather than just by the state issuing the license.
Why the change?
After 9/11, the U.S. government realized that nearly all the hijackers who boarded commercial planes and crashed them that day were carrying U.S. driver’s licenses and state IDs and that most of those documents had been obtained fraudulently.
In the years after, the federal government began an effort to tighten national standards for stateissued documentation, and in 2005, Congress passed the Real ID Act. The act sets minimum standards for driver’s licenses and other types of ID cards. Once the law kicks in, any traveler who wishes to use a driver’s license or state-issued ID at a TSA checkpoint must make sure that it is Real ID-compliant.
“The findings of the 9/11 Commission clearly identified gaps in security management of state-level procured identity cards and driver’s licenses,” said Frank Harrison, North America regional security director for
World Travel Protection, a risk management company. “The Real ID Act provides a national framework of screening and approval to ensure consistency and integrity of programs. In other words, each state will maintain authority over their ID issuances, but they collectively will adhere to one standard of practice.”
The Real ID Act was initially set to be enforced in 2008 and has been delayed a number of times.
Is mine Real ID?
The easiest way to tell is just to look at it. Real ID-compliant driver’s licenses have a star, usually in gold or black. The stars look slightly different on each state’s licenses — in California, it sits on top of an image of a bear, which is the state animal — but it’s always in the top right corner.
A license that is not Real-ID compliant will not have a star in the corner, and some will also have the words “federal limits apply.”
Where are they?
Real ID-compliant licenses and identification cards are being issued in all 50 states as well as the District of Columbia and the majority of U.S. territories. American Samoa is not yet issuing them.
What do I need?
Each state has a different process for applying for a Real ID, so applicants should check requirements online. Many states, including Texas, offer sites through their DMV or government portals. In most instances, you can get a Real ID by visiting your local DMV, either as part of a standard license renewal or by filling out a special application.
But no matter where you live, to apply for a Real ID or change your license over, you’ll need to provide a Social Security number, prove your address through documents such as utility bills or bank statements, and verify your identity through a handful of additional documents such as birth certificates or passports.
In many instances, there is no additional cost to receive a Real ID if you’re already renewing your license, although some states charge extra.
Can I go without one?
Yes. There are a number of other forms of identification that TSA agents will accept for domestic air travel starting in May. These include a passport, a permanent residency card (also known as a green card), or the card for trusted traveler programs, including Global Entry and NEXUS, which allows prescreened travelers to transit quickly across the U.S.-Canada border.
In addition, a handful of states — Minnesota, Michigan, New York, Washington and Vermont — offer Enhanced Driver’s Licenses, or EDLs. Some travelers may prefer to opt for these over a
Real ID because they can also be used at some land or sea border crossings. They provide proof of U.S. citizenship, much like a passport, and are equipped with a radiofrequency identification chip that can display biographic and biometric data on the owner, including facial image, gender, date of birth and citizenship status, to Customs and Border Protection agents.
EDLs are Real IDcompliant, as well, although instead of a star, they have a U.S. flag. Its location varies by state.
EDLs can be used by travelers crossing land and sea borders to Canada, Mexico, Bermuda and the Caribbean, but they can’t be used in lieu of a passport if you’re traveling anywhere by air.
What about children?
The TSA doesn’t require those younger than 18 to show any ID right now when they’re traveling domestically with an adult.
For international travel, children of all ages are required to carry passports, and that will continue.
What about privacy?
Many organizations, including the American Civil Liberties Union of New York, have decried the Real ID Act as a threat to personal privacy and an overstep of information gathering on the part of the federal government.
“A lot of the security and privacy concerns revolve around the fact that it’s pushing every state’s DMV into a national database,” said Anaya Robinson, a senior policy strategist for the ACLU of Colorado. “If someone were to hack that singular database, they could get the personal information of anyone.”
But only 37 percent of Americans have a passport, according to estimates from the State Department, so if you plan to fly after May and don’t want to scramble with alternative documentation, you’ll need to update your driver’s license.