Look, we’re not your mother. We can’t nag you about making sure your driver’s license has been converted to REAL ID.
The law requiring REAL ID was only passed by Congress way back in the years following September 11 and signed into law in 2005 by President George W. Bush. Maybe that hasn’t given you enough time to get one. We know you’re busy.
Like it or not, though, as of May 7, 2025, all state-issued IDs will have to meet federally mandated security features in order to be used for commercial air travel.
You want to be the only kid at the airport with an old-fashioned driver’s license, holding the security line up? Is that how you were raised?
Sure, we understand. You’ll probably get to it eventually. But on the off chance you haven’t changed over to a REAL ID–compliant driver’s license—and we’re not accusing you of anything, we’re just having a discussion here—then we thought we’d mention that the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) will still accept other forms of identification at the airport security checkpoint.
Direct from the TSA’s official list of valid forms of ID, here are the other documents that the TSA will accept even if your driver’s license isn’t REAL ID–compliant. Let’s hope you have at least one of these:
• State-issued Enhanced Driver’s License (this isn’t the same thing as REAL ID)
• U.S. passport (here’s how to apply for one)
• U.S. passport card (here’s how to apply for one; if you’re flying internationally, you’ll still need a passport book)
• DHS Trusted Traveler cards (Global Entry, NEXUS, SENTRI, FAST)
• U.S. Department of Defense ID, including ones issued to dependents
• Permanent resident card
• Border crossing card
• Acceptable photo ID issued by a federally recognized Tribal Nation/Indian Tribe, including Enhanced Tribal Cards (ETCs)
• 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)
The TSA currently accepts expired ID up to a year after expiration for the above listed forms of identification. If you forget your ID when you go to the airport, there are ways to verify your identity on the spot, although the process may take so long the TSA warns you to arrive at least 3 hours before your flight’s departure.
Also, the TSA doesn’t require kids under 18 to have identification as long as they’re traveling within the United States.
No, we’re not accusing you of forgetting. We know you’ll have the right ID when the time comes for you to check in for your flight or cruise.
And if you’re still wondering what documents you’d need to make your driver’s license a REAL ID, we wrote a whole article about how to do that. We’re just going to leave that right here, no pressure.
