REAL ID Travel Laws Go Into Effect, Or Do They?

By Idy Perl

After years of getting pushed off and delayed time and time again, the REAL ID travel laws are finally went into effect yesterday…sort of.

The REAL ID Act places new regulations on the kinds of ID that are accepted for domestic travel. The act was first introduced in 2005 after being drafted during the aftermath of the September 11 attacks. The IDs that are compliant with the act all have a higher level of verification than regular ID cards, and include passports, passport cards, Enhanced and REAL IDs. 

In the last few years, DMV’s have already been issuing REAL and Enhanced ID cards, which are marked with a star or flag in the top right corner. Around 80% of travelers in the U.S. are said to have REAL ID’s already, but even if you don't there's no need to worry just yet.

In a Congressional hearing on May 6^th, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said that those without REAL IDs will still be allowed to board domestic flights with a regular ID card (or the other forms of ID that are compliant) but will probably be diverted to a separate line or go through an extra step before boarding. 

So the act isn't fully in effect yet, but best schedule an appointment at your local DMV to get a REAL ID before it actually takes effect on some unknown date in the future.