The REAL ID Deadline Is Setting Off a Mad Scramble for Travelers
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I'm Jacob Passi for The Wall Street Journal. Planning a summer getaway? You'll want to make sure you have the right ID if you'll be taking a flight. Regulations regarding which forms of ID travelers can use at airports across the country are set to go into effect next month.

And some people are having trouble getting so-called real IDs. People are finding appointments are booked out until summer and they want one sooner. So because a lot of people did wait until the last minute, they're running into problems in the next few weeks trying to get these appointments. We'll talk with WSJ reporter Allison Pohle about what travelers need to know about the new ID rules after the break.

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Starting May 7th, travelers will need a real ID to board domestic flights out of U.S. airports. That deadline is causing headaches for some Americans who haven't updated their IDs yet. Wall Street Journal reporter Allison Pohle joins me. So Allison, what is a real ID?

It is a certain specialized type of identification that signifies you have gone through minimum requirements set out by the federal government. Basically, in 2005, Congress passed the REAL ID Act.

And that required states to look for Social Security numbers, birth certificates, to establish that a person was who they said they were. And so now, on May 7th, all those requirements are finally being enforced many decades later.

So how do people go about getting one of these IDs, and how can they tell if their ID already complies with the federal guidelines? So you will need to go to the DMV to get one of these, and you'll have to go in person because there's a verification process that happens where the person who works there is looking at your birth certificate, proof of address, form or license.

But you'll know you have a real ID because there will be a symbol on it. So a lot of states have a gold star in the top right corner. Some states have a black star or a star within a circle. California has a bear, which is the unique one. But there will be a marker that shows it's real ID credentialed. And taking a step back, why did the federal government set up these requirements in the first place?

So after 9-11, they wanted to make sure that there would be a minimum standard across the country for identification. And so each state up until that point was able to ask whatever they wanted when people were getting their driver's license. So the federal government said no.

We need to make sure that there are at least the same base criteria for all of these licenses rather than them being 50 different processes that people could go through. When the May 7th deadline comes around, what happens if a traveler doesn't have one of these real IDs?

Don't panic if you don't have a Real ID yet. You'll still be able to get one after May 7th. But if you do have a flight that day, you'll need to bring a passport, even if you're not going internationally. It'll be a domestic flight, and you'll need to show a Real ID credentialed document. That also can include a Global Entry Card, an Enhanced Driver's License,

But you do need to show something that is the equivalent level of verification as a real ID. So how many travelers don't have a real ID yet? TSA estimates that about 20% of travelers do not have either a real ID or passport or otherwise acceptable document. And why have so many people not gotten one yet?

The deadline's been pushed back a lot. I mean, even during the pandemic, I know multiple times we wrote about, oh, the Real ID deadline is pushed again and again. It was three separate times. But even before that, a lot of states filed lawsuits challenging the Real ID requirements. So they didn't want the federal government overreaching or overstepping and telling them what they needed to do for ID requirements anymore.

So there was a lot of legal back and forth before this was able to get enforced as well. Now walk me through what does the process of getting a real ID look like?

Before you go to the DMV, go on their website. Each state can have a little bit of different requirements, but basically you're going to have to show a birth certificate or social security number. And these are original documents or certified copies. You can't just take a picture of it with your phone. They also want a proof of address. So two different documents that are bills showing that you live where you say you do.

And so they'll look through all of that, process it, and then issue the real ID. In many states, you do have to wait two weeks to get that mailed to you, so you might not get it right away. And does the process vary at all from state to state? It does vary from state to state. So people in Texas, for example, if they're going to the DMV, they're going to get a real ID no matter what.

because Texas is a single issuance state. Whereas if you're missing a document in, say, Pennsylvania and you show up and, oh, I forgot my passport, perhaps to show proof of identification, you can still get a standard license, not a real ID, but that won't help you out come May 7th. Are people running into issues when they try to get the real ID right now?

They are. There's a lot of long lines at DMVs across the country. So some DMVs don't take appointments at all and are just walk-in, and so you really never know what you're going to get. Other people are finding appointments are booked out until summer and they want one sooner. So because a lot of people did wait until the last minute, they're running into problems in the next few weeks trying to get these appointments. And if someone realizes they don't have one by the time of their trips, what options do they have?

So again, you can travel with a passport or a global entry card. TSA has a list of acceptable documents on its website that you can look at and see if you have one that fits. If you show up without anything on May 7th, TSA says you might face delays. So they will work with you to find other ways to verify your identification. But as of right now, they haven't released any information on what that is or how long the delay will be.

That's WSJ reporter Alison Pohle, and that's it for your Money Briefing. This episode was produced by Ariana Osparu with supervising producer Melanie Roy and deputy editor Chris Zinsley. I'm Jacob Passi for The Wall Street Journal. Thanks for listening. ♪