By Ricky Tyus
The Truth’s Travel Consultant
A Real ID seal on all state-issued identification documents will soon be a must, especially if you plan on traveling this upcoming summer and beyond. And it’s not too early to head over to your state’s driver’s licensing agency to get your documents in order.
Passed by Congress in 2005, the Real ID Act set stricter standards for identifying recipients of identification, such as driver’s licenses, and requires that travelers on airlines in the U.S. show ID that is compliant with the new regulations. States have been upgrading their systems to meet the new requirements over the years — but now the final deadline, May 7, 2025, is within the booking window of many travelers.
Ohio is compliant with the REAL ID Act. Federal agencies can accept driver’s licenses and identification cards from Ohio for travel or for Federal facilities and nuclear power plants.
You do not need a driver’s license to clear airport security. Passports, military IDs and Global Entry cards, for example, are perfectly acceptable. But be prepared for long waits when applying for the Real-Id Complaint driver’s license. If you already have a Passport, military Id or Global Entry card you can apply for a non-complaint driver license instead.
Travelers under the age of 18 do not require identification, as they will be covered by the ID of the adults with whom they travel.
Getting a Real ID-compliant driver’s license requires showing a birth certificate or passport, so the name on some licenses might change. For travel, that means taking a moment to ensure that travelers’ licenses, passports and airline reservations all have the exact same name.
The requirement was originally set to take effect in 2020 but was pushed back until May 2025 over “backlogged transactions” at Motor Vehicle Division offices nationwide amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
The mountains of paperwork, according to the department, impacted agencies’ ability to make any real progress on the Real ID rollout. But this time, the deadline is really real.
That means federal agencies, including the Transportation Security Administration, will not accept driver’s licenses and state-issued identification cards that are not Real ID-compliant.
The last thing you want is to show up at the airport and not be allowed to board your flight.
When do you need a Real ID to fly?
May 7, 2025.
Any individual over the age of 18 who does not have another TSA-approved form of identification to fly domestically must have a Real ID compliant identification card, or driver’s license by the enforcement date. If you already have another form of TSA-approved form of identification like a passport, then you probably do not need a Real ID.
What are the alternatives to a Real ID?
TSA-approved alternatives include:
U.S. passport
U.S. passport card
DHS trusted traveler cards (Global Entry, NEXUS, SENTRI, FAST)
U.S. Department of Defense ID, including IDs issued to dependents
Border crossing card
An acceptable photo ID issued by a federally recognized Tribal Nation/Indian Tribe
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)
Written by Ricky Tyus
Tyus Tours & Travel,
866-547-5362, Travel@tyustours.com, www.tyustours.com