May 6 (UPI) — Nearly 20 years after the passage of the REAL ID Act, the deadline to update to a compliant identification card arrives on Wednesday.
About 81% of U.S. travelers who come to Transportation Security Administration checkpoints currently possess a state-issued REAL ID or acceptable form of identification, such as a passport, a TSA spokesperson told UPI.
After Wednesday’s deadline, airline travelers who do not present a compliant form of identification will be asked to pass through additional security screenings to board a plane.
A REAL ID or compliant identification will also be required for access to other federal facilities, such as military bases and federal courthouses.
The purpose of the REAL ID requirement is to strengthen security at airports. The TSA spokesperson said it is the documents required to acquire a REAL ID that make it a stronger form of identification and enhance security.
A REAL ID can be obtained at a state department of motor vehicles or similar agency that issues licenses. The requirements for a REAL ID vary slightly by state but most require an in-person appearance at the issuing office.
The minimum federal requirements for a REAL ID ask for proof of an applicant’s full legal name, date of birth, Social Security number, two documents with proof of address or residence and proof of lawful status. Some states may require additional documentation.
“Those requirements go back to 9/11 and avoiding the things that we saw with the 19 hijackers having 30 separate driver’s licenses and ID cards with them,” he said. “It really does strengthen it in a lot of ways to ensure that the person standing in the checkpoint is the person on their identification.”
Instituting the REAL ID requirement fits with broader trends in security and identity verification in that it creates a greater level of uniformity across state-issued identification cards. Along with enhancing security in federal facilities, it is meant to increase protection against identity theft, due to the higher standards for proving one’s identity when obtaining a card.
“States have done tremendous work bringing this to fruition and really have overhauled 50 different states’ systems for issuing state-issued driver’s licenses,” the TSA spokesperson said. “We’re coming to the point of implementation after a great deal of collaborative work from states, airports and airlines that have gotten this, and people in general, to get their REAL ID.”
The REAL ID Act was passed in 2005 but implementation of the requirements for travelers has been delayed multiple times. It was first meant to take effect in 2008 but some states were slow to comply, citing the costs associated with implementation and challenges related to its rollout.
It was set to take effect in 2020 but the deadline was paused due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In 2022, the deadline was extended for 24 months, again due to backlogs caused by the pandemic.
“The TSA and DHS have pushed it back during the COVID years, recognizing people wouldn’t be able to get to the DMV during the pandemic years,” the TSA spokesperson said. “We’re beyond that now.”
