License upgrade or passport required for domestic air travel
Most adults catching a flight in the U.S. starting Wednesday (May 7) will be required to present a passport or an upgraded state-issued identification card that meets federal Real ID standards.
If your New York State license or ID does not have a star or flag on it, you do not have a Real ID-compliant document and will need a passport to travel by plane domestically.
Update: Travelers who aren’t Real ID compliant by the deadline will still be able to fly but should be prepared for extra scrutiny, the head of Homeland Security said Tuesday (May 6). Kristi Noem told a Congressional panel that 81 percent of travelers have IDs that comply with the REAL ID requirements; those who lack passports, tribal identification or Real ID “may be diverted to a different line, have an extra step,” Noem said. “But people will be allowed to fly,” she said. “We will make sure it’s as seamless as possible.”
The upgrade must be done in person at a DMV office. People who haven’t obtained one by May 7 can still apply after that, although appointments are not available at the Putnam and Dutchess DMVs until late May or June.
The policy stems from a law adopted 20 years ago, but not everyone is ready. The federal government says most people flying lately have presented ID that would meet the new standards, but about 1 in 5 have not. And it could be impossible for some people who don’t have an enhanced driver’s license or other state ID or passport to get the more secure travel documents quickly.
See New York DMV requirements
Make an appointment with the Dutchess DMV
Make an appointment with the Putnam DMV
Implementation has been delayed repeatedly already, and officials in at least one state have requested another extension before enforcement begins. But Dan Velez, a spokesperson for the Transportation Security Administration, told the Associated Press that the agency does not intend to delay the Real ID again.
In some states, the May 7 deadline might not be a big deal. In Florida and Texas, for instance, all licenses are Real ID compliant, so anyone who has a current one can use it to fly domestically.
What is a Real ID?
It’s a driver’s license or other state-issued ID that meets security requirements mandated in a 2005 law passed in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
Obtaining an ID with the designation — indicated by a white star in a yellow circle in most states — means taking more documents to the motor vehicle agency than most states require for regular IDs.
The program has already been delayed several times by states that weren’t prepared to offer the IDs, people being slow to update their documents and by the coronavirus pandemic. With those hurdles mostly passed, the government is set to require the new IDs rather than old state drivers’ licenses and IDs for commercial air travel starting May 7.
People will also be required to carry the new IDs or a passport to enter secure federal facilities such as military bases (such as West Point) or to get into nuclear power plants.
Is the country ready?
It’s clear not everyone is. But it’s less clear whether the nation is prepared.
The Department of Homeland Security said in a report earlier this year that 56 percent of IDs in circulation nationally met the requirements as of January 2024. In 16 states, more than three in five IDs met the new standards, while the number was below two out of five in 22 states.
About 81 percent of people flying recently have shown ID that would work once the new requirements kick in, according to a recent statement by Homeland Security.
A group of state senators from Kentucky earlier in April asked the agency to delay implementing the new requirements yet again. They said the state has limited appointments available to people seeking the new cards and that there has been a rush to meet the May 7 deadline.
Who needs a Real ID?
People who don’t fly or visit military bases or other sites where the IDs are required may not need new identification. People who have photo IDs from federally recognized tribal nations don’t need anything new. Employment authorization green cards are already acceptable, as are some other less common identifying documents on the government’s list.
Real ID is not required to drive, vote or receive state or federal services or benefits. Still, a lot of people may need one. The enhanced cards have been available for years from every U.S. state and territory’s motor vehicle agency.
