After several years of delays, the REAL ID enforcement deadline is rapidly approaching. Patty Mancha is the TSA Spokesperson for Nebraska and says they will begin requiring compliant documentation for adults at U.S. airport security checkpoints on May 7.
“Therefore adding an extra layer of security to make sure that everyone who shows up for their domestic flight is in fact the person they are saying they are.” A REAL ID compliant driver’s license or state identification card will have a star-shaped mark in the upper right corner.
All airline passengers 18 years and older, including TSA PreCheck members, must present REAL ID-compliant identification or another acceptable ID, such as a passport, at TSA security checkpoints.
“For the person who does not have a compliant document they will be asked to step aside,” Mancha says. “We will work with them to try to verify their identity and if we can do so then they will be allowed to go through security and onto their flight.”
Mancha says nationwide the compliance rate is 81 percent, meaning millions of Americans still don’t have a REAL ID as we head into the summer travel season. The REAL ID Act was passed by Congress in 2005 after recommendations from the 9/11 Commission and has faced a number of delays over the years, including cost concerns and the COVID-19 pandemic.
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