FROM YAHOO NEWS TODAY
Starting
on Jan. 22, 2018, travelers from a handful of states may have to show
an alternate ID to Transportation Security Administration (TSA) agents
at the airport, ON BUSSES, AND STATE HIGHWAYS. This is because the REAL ID Act, which was passed by
Congress in 2005, will go into effect.
Essentially,
this act established minimum security standards for state-issued
driver’s licenses (and ID cards), and prohibits the TSA from accepting
cards that don’t meet the standards. Several states have requested
extensions to become compliant, many of which expired on Oct. 10. New
extensions may be granted, but for now, the grace period for states ends
on Jan. 22.
View photos
States that are compliant with the REAL ID Act.
Currently,
only 26 states are fully compliant, so residents of those areas can
continue to use their state-issued driver’s license when passing through
airport security. The remaining states, including New York, California,
Illinois and Louisiana, are currently under review. This means that
they may be granted an extension and given more time to become
compliant. Or it could mean that residents of these states will have to
use an alternative form of ID when flying in 2018.
Alternative forms of ID
The
easiest back-up ID option is your passport. The problem, is that only
36% of Americans have a valid passport, according to the U.S. Department
of State.
At
$135, passports can be expensive and unnecessary, especially if you
have no desire to travel internationally. In this case, a passport card
may make the most sense. For starters, it’s cheaper. First-time adult
applicants can get one for $55, and the cost is $40 for children. The
card is valid for 10 years (5 years if you’re 16 or younger), after
which a renewal will cost $30.
Another perk of a passport card that makes it better than a license is that it allows for some international travel.
Cardholders can use the wallet-sized document to re-enter the U.S. at
border-crossings or ports-of-entry from Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean
and Bermuda.
The TSA has a full list of all identification that will be accepted, but some of the more popular alternatives include:
- DHS trusted traveler cards (Global Entry, NEXUS, SENTRI, FAST)
- U.S. military ID (active duty or retired military and their dependents, and DoD civilians)
- Permanent resident card
- Border crossing card
- DHS-designated enhanced driver’s license
Time is of the essence
It’s
unclear if any states will be granted an extension, so if your state
isn’t currently compliant, it’s time to consider some other options. A
passport can take four to six weeks to arrive, while a passport card can
take up to three weeks. Applying now means shorter wait times, compared
with next year when procrastinators will be looking for new IDs before
their spring trips.
Even
if your state does get an extension, it doesn’t hurt to just get it out
of the way. Beginning Oct. 1, 2020, you can only use a REAL ID
compliant driver’s license or another acceptable form of identification
for domestic air travel.
