New ID Requirements Could Prove Challenging For Some US Travelers

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If you have a license from a select few states, that piece of plastic will soon no longer be enough identification to get you past TSA security checkpoints. And at airports all across the US this week, the TSA is posting signs to remind you of that. The agency is doing this now even though the changes aren't going into effect until January 22, 2018, so you're getting plenty of warning.

As of January 22, 2018, the REAL ID Act will go into place, meaning your state-issued ID must be compliant with the REAL ID Act rules. In other words, if you're a resident of Kentucky, Maine, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina or Washington, your ID will no longer be enough to get through airport security if your state doesn't comply with the security measures outlined in the REAL ID Act. As of that date, only residents of states that are compliant with the REAL ID Act or that are noncompliant with an extension will be able to get through security with their state-issued ID.

The good news if you're a resident of one of the aforementioned states is that there are other acceptable forms of identification, such as a passport, US military ID, border crossing card, one of the DHS trusted traveler cards and more. Hopefully for the sake of residents of the noncompliant states, their states can conform to the REAL ID Act's policies, which set the minimum security standards. If the status of one of the states changes between now and January 22, 2018, the TSA will update the signs in airports around the country.