The REAL ID Deadline Is Here: What You Need to Know

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.

Illinois residents wait in a line that stretches nearly two blocks to enter the Real ID Super Center operated by the Secretary of State's office to apply for a Real ID on May 6, 2025 in Chicago, Illinois. Starting tomorrow, a drivers license or state ID will no longer be considered acceptable forms of identification to board a domestic flight. Travelers will need to present a Real ID, passport or other acceptable form of identification at airport security checkpoints to avoid additional screening or risk being denied access to their flight. Scott Olson/Getty Images

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.

2. Knowing Whether You Have a REAL ID, or Not

Usually, a REAL ID takes the form of a driver’s license or a non-driver photo ID card issued by a state’s Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) or equivalent. States may issue such documents even if they are not REAL IDs. If your document is also a REAL ID, this is indicated by the presence of a black or gold star in the top corner of the plastic card.

At present, every state, the District of Columbia, and federal territory issues driver’s licenses and non-driver ID cards that are REAL IDs. Some also issue non-REAL ID cards to citizens and residents. These non-REAL ID cards are often cheaper to obtain and do not require as many supporting documents, making them attractive to individuals who merely want a license or ID for everyday purposes. They are also regularly issued to illegal immigrants by some states.

Usually, these non-REAL ID documents will have a notation that reads “Not Valid for Federal Purposes” or an equivalent and will not bear the required black or gold star. These documents are not REAL ID compliant and will be invalid for flying after May 7, save for the temporary exemption announced by Noem.

Temporary driver’s licenses, usually printed on paper, even with the requisite star, are not recognized by the TSA as being valid for REAL ID purposes. The document must be plastic or permanent.

It is unclear whether mobile driver’s licenses, downloaded to the Apple Wallet and Google Wallet programs, will be accepted for REAL ID purposes.

3. Compliant Documents, Such as a Passport, Can Be Used in Place of REAL ID

REAL ID, as we have previously reported, is a form of state-issued identification that is issued after a more thorough verification of the recipient’s identity. It involves verifying their immigration status in the United States as a U.S. citizen or a foreign national who is lawfully present, as well as obtaining their Social Security Administration (SSA) number and multiple proofs of address.

However, the U.S. government will recognize, for REAL ID purposes, other documents that are not REAL IDs, but which are issued with similar standards of thorough verification of identity. Individuals can use these documents instead of REAL ID for domestic air travel, entering federal buildings, and any other purpose for which REAL ID may be required.

The list of such “REAL ID-compliant” documents includes the following:

• U.S. passport booklets and U.S. passport cards;
• Lawful Permanent Resident cards—“green cards”—held by foreign nationals who are admitted as permanent residents of the United States;
• Enhanced driver’s licenses and Enhanced IDs issued by certain states, such as Washington, Minnesota, Michigan, New York, and Vermont, which denote U.S. citizenship and may be used to cross land borders;
• Trusted Traveler Program cards issued by the DHS, such as Global Entry, NEXUS, SENTRI, and FAST cards;
• Tribal Nation photo ID cards, for Native Americans who are members of a federally recognized Native/Indian Tribe;
• Foreign passport booklets issued by a foreign government—preferably, the same document used to enter the United States;
• I-766 Employment Authorization Document cards, for foreign nationals who are authorized by DHS to work in the United States—such as F-1 status students undergoing “Optional Practical Training” or “Curricular Practical Training”;
• Canadian driver’s licenses, issued by Canadian provinces to citizens and residents of Canada who are visiting the United States.

Anyone with these documents may use them instead of REAL ID for the same purposes.

4. Illegal Immigrants Cannot Obtain REAL ID

To obtain a REAL ID, the applicant needs to provide proof of lawful status in the United States. U.S. citizens are ordinarily required to provide proof of citizenship, such as a passport, birth certificate issued by a U.S. jurisdiction, naturalization certificate, consular report of birth abroad (CBRA), or an N-600 Certificate of Citizenship.

Foreign nationals, by contrast, must present both their foreign passport and proof of lawful status in the United States, which are inspected by state authorities when applying for a REAL ID. The actual duration of a REAL ID’s validity will be limited by the duration of authorized stay for the foreign national in question.

A foreign national who entered the United States without inspection, or who overstayed the duration of their status, such as an illegal immigrant, however, will likely not possess documents that indicate lawful presence in the United States. These foreign nationals will not be able to obtain a REAL ID, though they may still use their foreign passport or any other document that is REAL ID-compliant in order to fly.

The DHS has indicated that such illegal immigrants should only be flying in the United States if they are seeking to leave the country. “Illegal aliens should not be allowed to fly in the U.S. UNLESS SELF DEPORTING,” wrote DHS in a social media post about REAL ID on May 1.

It remains an open question as to whether illegal immigrants who have applied for asylum, or received any other immigration relief from removal, may apply for REAL ID.

5. States Are Facing Severe Backlogs for REAL ID Appointments

Amid the approaching deadline, Americans have flocked to state DMV offices to obtain REAL IDs. The high demand, heightened review, and additional documentation requirements mean that many states have been overwhelmed, resulting in a shortage of appointments to obtain REAL IDs. This has prevented many from obtaining them before the deadline.

The problem has been acute in New Jersey. The Epoch Times attempted to book a REAL ID appointment at all of the state’s Motor Vehicle Commission (MVC) offices, and none were available. In other states, customers have reported wait times of up to three hours, or longer, for REAL ID appointments. The state has set up a special program to obtain REAL IDs on an emergency basis for “life-or-death reasons.”

“Anticipating the recent increase in demand, which is being seen all over the country, we have made many additional accommodations to service as many customers with REAL ID as possible, including with this new emergency program,” acting New Jersey MVC Chief Administrator Latrecia Littles-Floyd said in a statement on April 22.

Wait times and booking processes for REAL ID appointments will vary from state to state. While individuals wait for an appointment, they may use a REAL ID-compliant document, or apply for one, which may permanently substitute for a REAL ID.