REAL IDs are required for domestic air travel after May 7, though the Department of Homeland Security is making a temporary exemption amid pressures on states.
WASHINGTON—As of May 7, the REAL ID Act of 2005 will come into full effect. Everyone in the United States will require new forms of government-issued photo identification to board a domestic flight or enter a federal facility, and many Americans will need to change their IDs to comply.
Below, we list five key details about the REAL ID program.
1. May 7 Deadline Remains, but Non-REAL ID Holders May Still Fly
Ordinarily, under the REAL ID Act, anyone seeking to board a domestic flight must present a REAL ID or a compliant document at airports. The deadline when that would come into effect is May 7, 2025.
Obtaining a REAL ID requires additional documents—such as proof of lawful status in the United States—beyond those regularly provided when obtaining a driver’s license.
On May 6, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced that an exemption would be granted to enable non-REAL ID holders to fly even after May 7. She said that travelers without REAL ID will be diverted to a different queue at Transportation Security Administration (TSA) screening checkpoints, and would undergo additional screening steps, but they would be permitted to board flights.
“What will happen, tomorrow, is folks will come through the line … if [their ID is] not compliant, they may be diverted to a different line [and] have an extra step, but people will be allowed to fly,” Noem told the U.S. House of Representatives’ Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security during an oversight hearing.
Noem’s statement is a new development in terms of REAL ID planning. As of writing, neither the TSA nor the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) had published any new press releases indicating this exemption.
The rules for international travel have not changed, and travelers will still need a passport booklet to fly internationally to and from the United States.
By Arjun Singh
