Certain standard driver's licenses and other identification cards will no longer meet federal standards board as the REAL ID-complaint forms of identification will be required as of Wednesday (May 7), according to the Department of Homeland Security.

A REAL ID is a security-enhanced version of driver's licenses, learner's permit or nondriver identification that includes a star on the top right corner and can be obtained in all 50 U.S. states.

“Beginning May 7, 2025 every state and territory resident will need to present a REAL ID-compliant license/ID, or another acceptable form of identification, for accessing federal facilities, entering nuclear power plants, and boarding commercial aircraft,” the Department of Homeland Security website states. “The card, itself, must be REAL ID compliant unless the resident is using an alternative acceptable document such as a passport or passport card, or state-issued Enhanced Driver’s License.”

“Starting on May 7, 2025, a state-issued driver’s license or ID that is not REAL ID compliant will no longer be accepted as a valid form of identification at airports,” the TSA said on its website.

The REAL ID Act was initially passed by the U.S. Congress in 2005 after being recommended by the 9/11 Commission in order to “set standards for the issuance of sources of identification, such as driver’s licenses,” but has been delayed for 20 years. U.S. citizens can get REAL IDs from their state's driver's licensing agencies and are advised to check the agencies' websites to determine the exact requirements.

The Transportation Security Administration said it may take up to three weeks for U.S. citizens to receive their REAL ID and confirmed that they would "not accept the temporary paper card given at the DMV.” Travelers who don't present REAL ID-compliant identification or other acceptable alternate forms of identification “may be directed to a separate area and may receive additional screening," according to the TSA's official website.

“If your identity is confirmed, you will be allowed to enter the screening checkpoint, where you may be subject to additional screening," the website states. “You will not be allowed to enter the security checkpoint if you choose to not provide acceptable identification, you decline to cooperate with the identity verification process, or your identity cannot be confirmed."

Armstrong & Getty