The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has issued a reminder that starting Wednesday, May 7, every air traveler 18 years of age or older will need a REAL ID-compliant state-issued driver’s license, instruction permit, identification card, or another acceptable form of ID to board a U.S. commercial aircraft.
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To determine if a California driver’s license or identification card is REAL ID-compliant, look for a bear + star in the top right corner. This image will indicate that the credential is REAL ID-compliant.
Once enforcement begins, passengers who present a state-issued identification that is not REAL ID-compliant and who do not have another acceptable form of photo identification can expect to face delays, additional screening, and the possibility of not being permitted into the security checkpoint, if their identity cannot be verified.
“Conversations about REAL ID have been underway for years, but enforcement of these policies will begin on Wednesday, May 7,2025,” said James Adams, TSA Federal Security Director at Oakland International Airport. “Even if you don’t have any travel plans now, your plans could change. Now is the time to plan what type of photo ID you will use when you travel by air. Take an inventory of what you will use to verify your identity when you travel by air the next time.”
TSA has a full list of acceptable forms of identification [2] beyond a state-issued driver’s license or identification card that can be presented at the security checkpoint for identity verification. These include:
- Driver’s licenses or other state photo identity cards issued by Department of Motor Vehicles (or equivalent)
- Beginning May 7, 2025, if you plan to use your state-issued ID or license to fly within the U.S., it must be REAL ID compliant [3]. If you are not sure if your ID complies with REAL ID, check with your state department of motor vehicles.
- A temporary driver’s license is not an acceptable form of identification
- State-issued Enhanced Driver’s License
- U.S. passport [4]
- U.S. passport card [5]
- DHS trusted traveler cards (Global Entry, NEXUS, SENTRI, FAST)
- U.S. Department of Defense ID, including IDs issued to dependents
- Permanent resident card
- Border crossing card
- An acceptable photo ID issued by a federally recognized [6] Tribal Nation/Indian Tribe, including Enhanced Tribal Cards (ETCs).
- HSPD-12 PIV card
- Foreign government-issued passport
- Canadian provincial driver’s license or Indian and Northern Affairs Canada card
- Transportation worker identification credential
- U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Employment Authorization Card (I-766)
- U.S. Merchant Mariner Credential
- Veteran Health Identification Card (VHIC)
Congress passed The REAL ID Act in 2005, enacting a recommendation from the 9/11 Commission that established minimum security standards for state-issued driver’s licenses and identification cards. The Act further prohibited federal agencies, including the TSA, from accepting state-issued driver’s licenses or identification cards that do not meet the minimum standards.
The California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) began issuing REAL ID-complaint licenses and identification cards in January 2018. Eligibility requirements include providing proof of identity, proof of California residency and a trip to the DMV. Applicants will be asked to provide their Social Security number of the REAL ID application. More information on applying for a REAL ID in California is available on the DMV REAL ID web page [7].
Starting May 7, 2025, REAL ID enforcement will begin at every airport in the United States and this requirement will continue to be enforced indefinitely during the identity verification process in the TSA security checkpoint.
Signs are currently posted at airports nationwide reminding the public that REAL ID-compliant licenses or other acceptable forms of identification will be mandatory. More information and Frequently Asked Questions on REAL ID can be found online [8].