GREENSBORO, N.C. — The new headline reads Deadline: May 7, 2025, but the body of the Department of Homeland Security's webpage still reads from the last extension from October 1, 2021, to May 3, 2023.
Don't let that confuse you, the TSA webpage states:
Due to circumstances resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, the Department of Homeland Security has extended the REAL ID enforcement deadline. The new deadline for REAL ID enforcement is May 7, 2025. Read the announcement.
Beginning May 7, 2025, every air traveler 18 years of age and older will need a REAL ID-compliant driver’s license, state-issued enhanced driver’s license, or another acceptable form of ID to fly within the United States.
The Department of Homeland Security's page confirms that every air traveler 18 years of age and older will need a REAL ID-compliant driver’s license or identification card, state-issued enhanced driver’s license, or another TSA-acceptable form of identification at airport security checkpoints for domestic air travel.
The REAL ID Act became law in 2005, establishing minimum security requirements for state-issued driver's licenses and identification cards. The REAL ID is marked with a star and requires a tougher identity check.
The original enforcement deadline was 2016. It has been delayed several times, most recently in April 2021. After the deadline, adults will need a REAL ID or another acceptable form of identification, like a passport or passport card, to fly domestically. Some federal buildings are also affected.
Other acceptable identification documents include enhanced driver's licenses, Veteran Health Identification Cards, permanent resident cards and Department of Defense ID cards, among others.
A FAQ page on the DHS's website says as of March 2021, 55 states and territories were "fully compliant with the REAL ID requirements, and all states are on track to begin issuing compliant licenses and IDs by the May 7, 2025 deadline."