Do i have to have star id to fly

The new deadline for the required identification card has been pushed back to 2023

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — All Americans who want to travel domestically must have Real ID, known in Alabama as "Star ID", by May 3, 2023.

Originally, all U.S. citizens were supposed to have it by October 1, 2020, but that deadline was extended due to the COVID pandemic.

The Real ID Act, passed by Congress in 2005, enacted the 9/11 Commission’s recommendation that the Federal Government “set standards for the issuance of sources of identification, such as driver's licenses.” According to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the Act established minimum security standards for license issuance and production and prohibits federal agencies from accepting for certain purposes driver’s licenses and identification cards from states not meeting the Act’s minimum standards. Individual state IDs were introduced at different times.

Star ID, Alabama's name for its Real ID, was introduced in 2011. Madison County License Director, Mark Craig, said this ID will ensure passenger's safety. Both state ID cards and drivers licenses are available as Star ID and can be used for travel. You can get your Star ID at a state drivers license office and for more information, visit the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency's website.

If you do not have a Star ID, you can also travel domestically with a current passport. Passports are still required for international travel.

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The REAL ID (gold star) effective date is set for May 3, 2023. If you fly commercially or need access to federal facilities, you’ll either need a REAL ID license or ID or another acceptable identity document, or you’re going to be subject to additional screening and potential delays. Please note it can take up to 21 days to receive your REAL ID in the mail, so please plan ahead.

Don’t panic! We’re here to help you decide if a REAL ID license or ID is right for you.

WHAT IS THE REAL ID ACT?

REAL ID is a federal act focusing on anti-terrorism, fraud protection, and security specific to the production of driver's licenses and ID cards that control access to

• Federal facilities requiring identification to enter.
• Federally regulated commercial aircraft.
• Nuclear power facilities.

Find out more about the REAL ID Act.

DO I NEED A REAL ID LICENSE OR ID?

REAL ID does not:

• Invalidate your state issued driver’s license or ID card.
• Affect using a driver’s license or ID card for usual purposes, such as driving, renting a vehicle, writing a check, purchasing alcohol or tobacco, or entering a casino.

You may not need a REAL ID compliant license or ID card if you

• Do not fly and do not plan to enter certain federal facilities, such as military bases and nuclear power plants.
• Have an acceptable alternative to a state-issued REAL ID compliant driver’s license or ID card, such as a valid U.S. passport.

HOW DO I GET A REAL ID-COMPLIANT CARD?

Great! You've decided a REAL ID driver's license or ID is the right choice for you. So what's next? Follow these simple and helpful tips below.

In 2021 DHS said only 43% of driver’s licenses were REAL IDs. If you want to use your license to fly in the U.S. after May 2023, it will need to be a REAL ID.

Anyone who has been to a DMV in the last couple of years has likely seen signs and posters that say REAL ID is coming soon, and everyone will need one to fly.

REAL ID is a state ID card or driver’s license that meets stricter issuance standards than a typical state ID would. Some states began the transition to REAL IDs for licenses a decade ago, while others only started more recently. REAL ID’s stricter standards, and its late adoption by some states, has made it so many Americans still don’t have a REAL ID.

Angel texted the VERIFY team to ask if they need a REAL ID to travel domestically and internationally.

THE QUESTION

Does your driver's license need to be a REAL ID to fly domestically?

THE SOURCES

THE ANSWER

No, your driver’s license does not need to be a REAL ID to fly domestically. That will change on May 3, 2023, when the federal government will start requiring it.

WHAT WE FOUND

Currently, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) lists regular driver’s licenses and state photo ID cards as acceptable forms of identification at airport checkpoints, but it notes that all such IDs must be REAL ID compliant by the May 3, 2023 deadline for anyone seeking to fly within the U.S.

After that date, the only driver’s licenses or state ID cards TSA will accept will be REAL ID cards. TSA will also accept passports and certain other forms of identification. REAL ID cards won’t be enough to get on international flights, TSA says, which will still require passports.

The REAL ID Act became law in 2005, and prohibited federal agencies from accepting state driver’s licenses and IDs, unless those documents met minimum security requirements. These requirements would be set by the Secretary of Homeland Security, and included “the incorporation of specified data, a common machine-readable technology, and certain anti-fraud security features.”

According to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), to be issued a REAL ID,  you must provide documents that prove your full legal name, your date of birth, your Social Security number, two proofs of address and lawful status. A REAL ID driver’s license or ID will include a star on it to identify it, according to the U.S. Travel Association, which represents companies in the American travel industry.

For example, if someone were to apply for a REAL ID, they could provide a U.S. birth certificate or U.S. passport, an original Social Security card, a bank account statement with their address listed and a utility bill with their address listed as a set of acceptable documents. Someone not born in the U.S. would have to provide a fifth document to prove their legal authorization to be in the U.S., such as a Permanent Resident Card or a Certificate of Naturalization.

In 2012 only 13 states had been verified by DHS as REAL ID compliant, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures, and since then every state has updated its license requirements to meet REAL ID standards. States still allow residents to get regular driver’s licenses and state IDs by submitting only one proof of residency instead of two proofs.

Passports and passport cards are also acceptable forms of identification that can be used instead of REAL IDs, and will continue to be even after regular licenses and state IDs will no longer be accepted. Other acceptable identification documents include Veteran Health Identification Cards, permanent resident cards and Department of Defense ID cards, among others.

In 2013, DHS announced REAL ID requirements for air travelers would first take effect in 2016. But the enforcement for these requirements has been delayed several times, most recently in April 2021 when DHS pushed REAL ID enforcement back to its current deadline.

At the time DHS announced the latest deadline extension, it said only 43% of state driver’s licenses and IDs were REAL ID compliant. 

A March 2020 survey commissioned by the U.S. Travel Association found an estimated 83 million American adults (34%) say they do not have any form of TSA-accepted identification — REAL ID, passport or any other listed TSA-accepted document — once the deadline passes.

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