Some states may not take your driver’s license to board a flight, even if you’re traveling within the United States, beginning in 2016. The Department of Homeland Security says it will be making a decision this week.
The government’s decision will apply only to people in a handful of states. It wouldn’t take full effect in these states until the end of April 2016. The DHS could still decide to postpone its decision, according to a DHS spokeswoman.
In 2005, the United States government passed the Real ID Act, issuing stricter standards for state-issued ID's, including driver's licenses. The idea was to have stricter standards on what documents were needed to get a driver’s license, an effort to crack down on the potential for terrorists and criminals to obtain state-issued ID's. The act makes it harder to obtain a driver's license with counterfeit records.
23 states have complied with the law.
Law states that noncompliant ID's cannot be used to board domestic flights, but the DHS and the TSA have not been enforcing that rule. DHS has said it would make an announcement about enforcing the law on air travelers and what that means for fliers before the end of 2015. The reason for them enforcing the Real ID Act now is to help prevent terrorism.
The great news is that the majority of fliers in noncompliant states have been granted waiver extensions through October 10, 2016, and four states are currently under review for an extension.
States compliant with the Real ID Act:
- Alabama
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- DC
- Florida
- Georgia
- Indiana
- Maryland
States that have an extension, allowing Federal agencies to accept driver's licenses until October 10, 2016:
- Alaska
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- California
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Michigan
- Montana
- New Jersey
- New York
- N. Carolina
- N. Dakota
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- Texas
- Virginia
Make sure to pay attention to the news and emails about new flight rules coming soon.
