EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — Starting May 7, U.S. residents boarding any domestic flight will need a REAL ID-compliant license or other accepted form of identification like a passport.
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is encouraging travelers to review their current driver’s license to make sure they are compliant ahead of the deadline.
A REAL ID card has a small star, or other symbol based on your state, in the upper right corner. For Texans, the symbol is a gold star.
“A REAL ID is enhanced,” TSA spokesperson Patricia Mancha said. “It actually requires the traveler to present a birth certificate, social security information, address some other information that each state will tell you what they require, but it allows each state that is issuing the ID to verify your identity.”
The REAL ID Act was approved by Congress in 2005 after the 9/11 attack in 2001. The law was supposed to go into effect in 2008, but after a series of delays, it was officially pushed to May 7.
Should you plan a trip domestically without a compliant identification, there are several things that can happen.
“Whoever does not have a REAL ID, what we do is we bring them aside. They will not disturb the flow of the traffic. Our other travelers will continue on their journey. What happens is we will ask them a series of questions. We will try to verify their identity. So, these questions will include where you’ve lived, where you’ve worked, maybe some of your credit history, etc.,” Mancha said.
“The challenge for those travelers is time. It may not be a 15, 20, 30-minute process, but rather an hour or more. The other challenge is that, say, we’re not able to verify your identity. If we’re not able to do so, then you will not be allowed access to the checkpoint, which means you will not be allowed to fly,” she said.
According to the TSA, the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles has been issuing REAL IDs since 2016. The state is 98 percent compliant, with the rest of the nation, including all 50 states and territories, 81 percent.
Travelers can also use other forms of identification in place of a REAL ID.
“If you have a passport, a passport card, if you’re part of DoD, a Department of Defense, identity, if you’re a dependent of a DoD person, you can, use that. If you’re part of a federally recognized tribe, you can use your credentials from them,” Mancha said.
For more details on REAL ID and the documentation requirements, you can visit the TSA’s website.
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