We’re a year out from implementation of the Real ID Act, which means it’s time for sports planners to begin reminding travelers in earnest that a driver’s license might no longer be good enough to gain passage on the nation’s airlines.
Congress passed the Real ID Act in 2005, establishing minimum security-related requirements for state-issued driver’s licenses and identification cards, as well as mandating encoded technology such as machine-readable data chips.
But not all states are on the same page. According to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, as of early January, 26 states had complied with the law, while 21 states and territories received compliance extensions. And eight states — Kentucky, Maine, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Pennsylvania, South Carolina and Washington — weren't compliant. If they remain noncompliant, residents of those states would have to present an alternative ID at airport checkpoints beginning Jan. 22, 2018, Travel Weekly reports.
Frequent travelers worried that their state won’t comply in time can renew or acquire a passport instead.
Some states are struggling to enact the changes because of budget limitations, while others are simply against compliance.
To find out the status of specific states, click here.
For a rundown of impending changes to U.S. air travel and passport processes, click here.
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