#15 What is REAL ID ACT mean?

The Real ID Act was passed by Congress in 2005, in the wake of 9/11, to raise the security standards for state-issued driver’s licenses.

The Real ID Act requires that driver’s licenses meet standards set by the Department of Homeland Security by October 2020. Many states are already compliant and others have been given extensions.

Now, after 13 years of delays and extensions, the Trump administration has fixed a hard deadline of October for states to comply. Under the law, all airline travelers must display a new, technologically advanced license if they wish to board a plane. The Department of Homeland Security has given the 23 states still operating under extensions until Oct. 10.

For now, The Transport Security Administration continues numerous forms of acceptable ID for air travel within the US, including:

• DMV-issued drivers licenses or other state photo ID cards
• S. passports
• S. passport cards
• DHS trusted traveler cards (Global Entry, NEXUS, SENTRI, FAST)
• S. military ID (active duty or retired military and their dependents, and DoD civilians)
• Permanent resident cards (green cards)
• Border crossing cards
• DHS-designated enhanced driver’s licenses
• Airline or airport-issued ID (if issued under a TSA-approved security plan)
• Federally recognized, tribal-issued photo IDs
• HSPD-12 PIV cards
• Foreign government-issued passports
• Canadian provincial driver’s licenses or Indian and Northern Affairs Canada cards
• Transportation worker identification credential

Starting Oct. 1, 2020, every adult boarding any federally regulated aircraft — including domestic flights — will need a Real ID-compliant license or they will need to show an alternative form of identification (such as a passport, “enhanced ID,” Global Entry card or other acceptable forms of ID) at security.

Do children need a REAL ID to fly within the US?

For travel within the United States, the TSA does not require children under age 18 to provide ID when traveling with an adult companion who has acceptable identification.

Only 26 states and territories are 100-percent compliant with the standards set by REAL ID. They are:

• Alabama
• Arizona
• Arkansas
• Colorado
• Connecticut
• Delaware
• DC
• Florida
• Georgia
• Hawaii
• Indiana
• Iowa
• Kansas
• Maryland
• Mississippi
• Nebraska
• Nevada
• New Mexico
• Ohio
• S. Dakota
• Tennessee
• Utah
• Vermont
• West Virginia
• Wisconsin
• Wyoming

The following states are still working on it and either have applied for or have been granted extensions:

• Alaska
• American Samoa
• California
• Guam
• Idaho
• Illinois
• Kentucky
• Maine
• Massachusetts
• Minnesota
• Missouri
• Montana
• N. Marianas
• New Hampshire
• New Jersey
• N. Carolina
• N. Dakota
• Oklahoma
• Oregon
• Pennsylvania
• Puerto Rico
• Rhode Island
• S. Carolina
• Texas
• Virgin Islands
• Virginia
• Washington
• New York
• Michigan
• Louisiana

REAl ID ACT

Consultations (800) 913-0809

SMS (224) 676-3577

Ilona Dovidaitiene, EA

President CEO TIP INC

Enrolled to practice before the IRS

Public Notary, QB Proadvisor

United States Tax Services

United States Immigration Services