MORRISVILLE, N.C. — Today marks the first day the Real ID Act will be in effect across the country. The head of Homeland Security said Tuesday that while non-REAL ID compliant travelers can still fly this week, they’ll undergo more thorough security checks, like an added line.
The Real ID Act requires federal agencies to view a Real ID, U.S. passport or other federally approved identification to board commercial flights and enter secure federal buildings, such as a federal courthouse.
N.C. Real ID is identifiable with a star in the top right-hand corner of the driver’s license. Millions have already received Real IDs ahead of Wednesday’s deadline, the North Carolina DMV told Spectrum News 1.
This requirement has been a long time coming. Congress passed the act 20 years ago in 2005 to enact the 9/11 commission’s recommendations to set stricter standards for sources of identification cards like driver’s licenses.
Dr. Magdalena Krajewska from Wingate University said the tragedy of Sept. 11, 2001 changed a lot of regulations for travel.
“The 9/11 commission found that the hijackers that hijacked the planes on 9/11 were using multiple identification documents, some of them obtained fraudulently,” Krajewska explained.
These documents allowed the hijackers to go undetected, prompting change for more secure documents and vetting for the driver’s license and identification cards.
“DMVs now are doing much more to check that the original documents that are presented to them. People who are at the DMV's offices are, in fact, who they say they are,” she added.
An expert on Real IDs says the act has been in law for 20 years but the implantation has been continuously delayed, leaving many in the dark.
“If you are not traveling frequently, you might have missed many of the signs at the airports when you’re standing in line for the TSA,” Krajewska said.
Getting the public to sign up for a Real ID since the legislation passed was one of those hurdles, but the Transportation Security Administration recently said its statistics show more than 8 in 10 fliers have shown a Real ID to an agent.
“Currently, 81% of travelers at TSA checkpoints present an acceptable identification including a state-issued REAL ID,” the organization said in an April release. “TSA expects the number of passengers obtaining REAL IDs to steadily increase and will continue with additional screening measures for those without a REAL ID until it is no longer considered a security vulnerability.”
Last month, United States Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem also released a video urging U.S. citizens to get their Real ID if they planned on traveling.
“If you plan to fly, make sure you get a Real ID so you won’t be denied from your flight or face travel delays!“ she said in a post.
But if you do not have a Real ID, there are other options available. Identification options like a passport or other documents will still get you to your gate and other places just fine, officials said.
“You can use your permanent residence card, a green card. You can use a military ID, you can use a, you know, a veteran health card there," she said.
Krajewska added that even though everyone’s been rushing to the DMV for Real IDs, drivers can still get one.
“Unless you’re planning to fly on, you know, May 7 from May 8 or 9, or in the in the weeks immediately after that, you actually have time to obtain that driver’s license, perhaps later on this summer, perhaps later on this fall,” Dr. Krajewska said.
She believes the TSA may be flexible in the first few days for those who do not have a Real ID, but she recommends getting a Real ID as soon as possible.
It’s important to note, a Real ID is completely optional and is not needed to do any of the following:
- Drive
- Vote
- Apply for or receive federal benefits, including Veterans Affairs, Social Securiry and more
- Access a hospital or get life saving services
- Participate in law enforcement proceedings or investigations (examples include serving on a federal jury, testifying in federal court, etc.)
- Entering a federal facility that does not require an ID like a post office or when applying to receive federal benefits
There may be stricter security depending on the person asking to produce a driver’s license, though.
For more information on the additional documentation you would need to board a flight if you do not have a passport or requirements needed to get a Real ID, click here.