CLEVELAND — How many times have you gotten to the airport and realized you didn't have your ID? A version of that stress will soon dawn on many Americans starting Wednesday, May 7.
For years, travelers have seen signs posted throughout TSA checkpoints that a Real ID will be needed soon, but it's finally becoming a reality.
"There have been a couple of delays, but we are ready to enforce. This is a law that Congress passed, and it's time to enforce the law," TSA regional spokesperson Jessica Mayle told me.
Passed by Congress in 2005, the REAL ID Act 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.”
A Real ID will have a star in the right-hand corner of the card.
All airline passengers 18 years and older, including TSA PreCheck members, must have a Real ID.
For those who don't have one, the following are still acceptable forms of identification:
- U.S. passport or U.S. passport card
- Cards from the Department of Homeland Security's trusted traveler programs, such as Global Entry
- U.S. Department of Defense ID, including IDs issued to military dependents
- Permanent resident card
- Border crossing card
- Photo ID issued by a federally recognized tribal nation or Native American tribe
- Federal employee or contractor ID card
- Passport issued by a foreign government
- Canadian provincial driver's license or ID card issued to Indigenous people in Canada
- Transportation worker identification credential
- U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services employment authorization card
- U.S. merchant mariner crediential
- Veteran health identification card
Temporary driver's licenses are not an acceptable form of ID.
Travelers who present a state-issued identification that is not Real ID compliant and who do not have another acceptable alternative (i.e., passport) can expect to face delays, additional screening and the possibility of not being permitted into the security checkpoint.
Mayle said that additional screening entails a case-by-case basis, but encourages those who know they don't have a Real ID to get to the airport two-and-a-half to three hours ahead of boarding.
"We have a lot of different tools and resources at our disposal. It won't be a one size fits all. It really depends on the airport, what makes sense, local operations plans. We have flexibilities. It's possible that a passenger could fly out of one airport with a non-compliant ID and have one screening experience, then fly back from another airport with that same non-compliant ID and have a different type of screening experience," Mayle explained.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem told a House Appropriations subcommittee on Tuesday that those not compliant may be diverted to a different line for the extra screening.
Regardless of what the additional screening is, Mayle said TSA's goal is that this will cause little to no disruption to those who have a Real ID.
If you do not have a Real ID, Mayle said to still bring your state-issued identification for TSA agents to scan as a way to verify your identity. It also might be a good idea to bring your birth certificate or any form of proof showing where you live.
"This really was about increasing air security, putting a baseline security standards for driver's licenses across the country," Mayle stated. "Tomorrow's not really a deadline. It's more of a new beginning. The enforcement is beginning on that day. That's kind of a new normal, but real IDs will continue to be available at your DMV."
We stopped by Cleveland Hopkins International Airport on Tuesday night to chat with travelers about the Real ID.
AJ Schumacher and Michael Collins are flying to Boston for a gaming convention called PAX East.
"We have a business that we run together teaching people how to play Pokemon, so we're going out there to spend a week in Boston teaching people how to play Pokemon," Schumacher said.
He and Collins, plus two others in their group, all have Real IDs and have had them for the last several years.
"I felt like they were actually serious this time," Collins said when asked if he was shocked the enforcement of Real IDs was actually happening this year. "The last time they extended it, it just seemed like this was the last time. That's why I made sure I got my mom's last year."
Neither wanted the headache of not having a Real ID when the time came to travel, and both told me they were frequent flyers.
"I'm lucky that my last name hasn't changed, so it's really easy for me. My wife had to have a little more paperwork with hers, but it still was relatively easy for her as well," Schumacher explained.
Damon Walsh of South Carolina told me the process to get a Real ID was seamless as well.
"Anything that can help us better identify who's traveling and verify their security, I think it's a good thing," Walsh said. "They (TSA) didn't ask me, but I'm okay with it."
The TSA reports that 81% of current travelers at checkpoints present acceptable identification, including a state-issued Real ID.
TSA expects the number of passengers obtaining Real IDs to steadily increase and will continue with additional screening measures for those without one until it is no longer considered a security vulnerability.
