You Have Almost Two More Years To Get Your Real ID For Air Travel

The deadline to get your REAL ID for air travel has been extended again. You have another 19 months before it'll be enforced at airports around the country.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) extended the REAL ID full enforcement date by 19 months, from October 1, 2021 to May 3, 2023, due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Driver's license agencies are still operating at limited capacity, impacting the ability to issue REAL ID-compliant driver’s licenses and identification cards.

“Protecting the health, safety, and security of our communities is our top priority,” said Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. “As our country continues to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, extending the REAL ID full enforcement deadline will give states needed time to reopen their driver’s licensing operations and ensure their residents can obtain a REAL ID-compliant license or identification card.”

Anyone 18 years of age and older will need a REAL ID-compliant driver’s license or identification card, state-issued enhanced driver’s license, or another TSA-acceptable form of identification at airport security checkpoints for domestic air travel starting May 3, 2023.

All 50 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, and four of five U.S. territories covered by the REAL ID Act and related regulations are now compliant with REAL ID security standards and are issuing REAL ID-compliant driver’s licenses and identification cards. However, many state licensing agencies have extended the deadline for renewing expiring licenses due to a widespread shift to appointment-only scheduling protocols during the pandemic. As a result, only 43 percent of all state-issued driver’s licenses and identification cards are currently REAL ID-compliant.

For more information on REAL ID, visit Dhs.gov/real-id.