The bottom line is… Driver’s licenses and IDs must now meet the Act’s minimum standards when they are produced by the states. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has set standards not entirely dissimilar from the requirements already in place for most states throughout the country, however, not all states are/were compliant. The REAL ID Act sets forth new federally mandated requirements for all state driver’s licenses and ID cards. Until October 1st, your old license or ID is still valid. You need to have a new federally compliant driver’s license known as a Real ID issued to you by your state to use as ID to get through TSA and board a plane as of October 1st, 2021. Therefore, any new license or requested replacement license is a Real ID.

Theft-proof wallet tucks inside your pants from your belt – See how Getting a Compliant Real ID Now is Easy All states are now issuing driver’s licenses and IDs that are compliant with the federal regulations of the Real ID Act.

The REAL ID Act, passed by Congress in 2005, enacted the 9/11 Commission’s recommendation that the Federal Government “set standards for the issuance of sources of identification, such as driver’s licenses.” This Act ensures that a driver’s license issued by all states meets all the same new higher standards of identity verification as set forth by the federal government. The purpose of secure driver’s licenses and identification documents is a vital component of our national security framework. If your driver’s license is not a Real ID on October 1st, 2021, then here’s a workaround, assuming you have a passport you can use your passport as your ID to fly domestically since passports are federally issued documents. Why is this important to you and domestic travel? Because you need a federally approved driver’s license or similar ID to board a plane on or after October 1st, 2021.

States have had to increase their standards to meet the federal standards for driver’s licenses to be considered REAL IDs. The Real ID Act is legislation that imposes much stricter measures on how people can obtain a state’s driver’s license and sets more thorough standards as to what will be displayed on the licenses.

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