Is your driver's license REAL ID ready? What to know before May 7 deadline
BAY COUNTY, Fla. (WMBB) – Is your driver's license REAL ID ready? You have two weeks to make the switch before the Transportation Security Administration requires REAL IDs for domestic flights.
The federally mandated switch was signed into law in 2005, four years after the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
Starting on May 7th, driver's licenses won't be accepted to get through airport security, unless they are REAL ID-compliant. However, a REAL ID is not mandatory to get through TSA.
If you do not upgrade your license, you can use a passport or other acceptable forms of identification to fly.
To check if your license is a REAL ID compliant, look for a star in the top left corner.
'The easiest way to check and see if you're compliant is in the upper right-hand corner. There's either gold or a black star on your driver's license, I.D., or whatever you're using. If you're using a passport, it will not have that military ID. But any driver's license or state-issued ID, if they have it, you can be compliant. If you do not have that on May 7, I expect that it's going to take longer to get through the checkpoint,' ECP Executive Director Parker McClellan said.
McClellan says the United States is 81% REAL ID-compliant, and the state of Florida is 90% compliant.
To get a REAL ID, you must bring proof of identity, proof of social security number, and proof of residency to your local driver's license service center or tax collector's office.
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