In less than a month, as of May 7, travelers who leave the airports of the United States must show the TSA agents their driver’s license that meets real identification, or other form of Compatible identification Go through security and make your flight. If they do not bring a real identification, they could face delays, additional detection or cannot be allowed through the control point, according to the transport security administration (TSA).
The launch of real identification, which has been delayed several times since the original deadline in 2008, has left some travelers confused about the requirements of their states and panic while trying to make appointments in overwhelmed DMVs.
A driver’s license sign that meets the “real ID” of the National Security Department outside the TSA control point at Miami International Airport, on December 7, 2024, in Miami.
Aaron M. Spokesman through AP
According federal documentsAs of January 2024, only around 56% of driving licenses and ID in circulation throughout the country complied with real identification.
The National Security Department estimated that only 61.2% of the licenses and ID to drive will comply with the deadline of May 7. A TSA spokesman told ABC News that 81% of travelers who pass through the TSA control points currently have real IDs or other compatible identification.
Passengers walk through the entrance of a TSA Precheck at Terminal 1 at O’Hare International Airport in Chicago, on February 1, 2017, in Chicago.
News service by Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune/Tribune through Getty Images
If you have not yet obtained your real identification license, this is what you should know as the deadline is approaching:
DMV are beaten
The Motorized Vehicle Department throughout the country reports long waiting times as travelers fight to obtain their real identification driving licenses, but some offer solutions for people looking for last -minute appointments.
Some New York DMVS It will remain open later on Thursdays and will launch new time spaces available every day.
They will also process real identification requests in the International Auto Show, from April 18 to 27 at the Javits Center in Manhattan. He California motor vehicles department He announced that 18 offices throughout the state would open earlier in the four days a week for real identification quotes. Illinois He created a “real supercentr id” to visit.
Exterior of the Department of Motorized Vehicles of the Rensselaer County, December 16, 2019 in Troy, NY
Lori van Buren/Albany Times Union through Getty Images
“You may have to do the old, and every morning, refresh your browser and see if an appointment has been opened,” said Aixa Díaz, AAA spokesman. “Inevitably, as with the quotes of doctors, there will be cancellations.”
Díaz warned that applicants will leave their appointment with a temporary paper copy of their identification. TSA will not accept this as valid, so they will have to wait until they receive their real identification by mail.
AAA test
The appointments can also be available at the local AAA branches, according to Díaz. Not all AAA offices process a real identification, and some only offer the service to the members, so Díaz urges travelers to call in advance. Applicants may also have to pay an additional rate.
What to bring to your appointment
Applicants can consult the National Security Department website to see the specific requirements and documents of their status that they need to bring.
You can still use your passport
A valid passport is a compatible identification, so if you have problems reserving an appointment, you can still use it after May 7 to go through the TSA control point.
If you appear without real identification, wait for delays
If travelers arrive at the airport without an identification of compliance after May 7, TSA said they could find delays and other difficulties at the control point.
“Passengers who present an identification issued by the State that does not meet a real identification and have no acceptable alternative (that is, passport) can expect to face delays, additional detection and the possibility of not being allowed at the security control point,” TSA said in a press release.
