May 2025 Deadline for Real ID-Compliant Driver’s Licenses at Nation’s Airports May Be the Real Deal

TSA PreCheck security checkpoint at LaGuardia Airport

The deadline for travelers to present Real ID-compliant driver’s licenses at the nation’s security checkpoints, originally scheduled to be in 2008 and postponed multiple times, is currently May 7, 2025 and – unlike what has taken place over the past 17 years – this deadline may stick.

Real ID establishes minimum standards and security enhancements for state-issued driver’s licenses.

The rationale for Real ID came from the fact that some of the terrorists who hijacked the four planes on September 11, 2001, used fraudulently obtained driver’s licenses to traverse airport security checkpoints, but the plan raised concerns for privacy as well as the cost of implementation.  As a result, the deadline for enforcement was pushed back repeatedly from 2008 to 2009 to 2011 to 2013 then to October 2020 before the postponement announced in December 2022.

Driver’s licenses that are Real ID compliant sport a five-point star in the top right corner. Getting one requires a trip to the local department of motor vehicles or other agency that issues licenses in one’s state with documentation that includes proof of identity such as a current license, birth certificate, or passport; proof of date of birth; proof of U.S. citizenship; and two proofs of residence such as utility bills or bank statements.

In addition to a Real ID-compliant license, travelers may use a variety of other identification documents including passports, passport cards, Department of Home Security trusted traveler cards such as those issued by the Global Entry program, permanent resident cards, and a border crossing card.

(Photo: Accura Media Group)