Time flies: Get your REAL ID by May 7 if planning to take a domestic flight
May 7 is the federal enforcement date for REAL ID in Pennsylvania.
If you are planning on traveling domestically by aircraft after May 7, a REAL ID or valid U.S. passport (with state-issued ID) will be required as a form of identification needed to board a plane, access federal facilities or enter a nuclear powerplant.
Other forms of identification to clear the security process for boarding a plane include a U.S. passport card, DHS trusted travelers card or military ID.
Derek Martin, the executive director of the Erie International Airport, said that the process to get a REAL ID is simple and will give you access to facilities that most Americans need to get to throughout their lives.
"You should go get it," Martin said. "It's a painless process and people who are having problems are ones that are having to get their names changed because of marriage or have improper identification."
You can visit PennDOT's website or go to the driver license center at 7200 Peach St. to find out what documentation is required for a REAL ID. The REAL ID website states that you will at minimum need documentation providing your full legal name, date of birth, Social Security number, two proofs of address of principal residence and lawful status.
A REAL ID has been a long time coming
About a month before the REAL ID enforcement date, the Erie International Airport along with Pennsylvania Travel Secretary Michael Carroll and AAA held a joint news conference to get the word out.
Martin said that they have been trying to promote REAL IDs since 2019, but the deadline has been pushed back multiple times over the years.
The REAL ID Act was passed by Congress in 2005 to enact the 9/11 Commission's recommendation "...that the Federal Government 'set standards for the issuance of sources of identification, such as driver's licenses and identification cards,'" according to the Department of Homeland Security website. This act established "...minimum security standards for license issuance and production and prohibit federal agencies from accepting for certain official purposes noncompliant driver's licenses and identification cards."
Martin said that the REAL ID isn't just needed for airports, you will also need them to assist you through federal facilities or when dealing with the Social Security Administration.
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What if you don't have a REAL ID at the airport?
Officials at the Erie International Airport aren't expecting a fully smooth transition process. They know there will be hiccups and delays or even a little confusion in the beginning.
"It's going to have some hiccups for people who don't travel on a regular basis," Martin said. "People who have traveled for the last two months through TSA would say that if someone showed up without the proper ID as of May 7th, your ID will not let you go through security. If that person says they haven't gotten their real ID yet but they have their passport, they can use a passport as a form of identification."
To fly within the U.S., passengers 18 and older need either a REAL ID compliant driver's license or a valid U.S. passport (with state-issued photo ID). Other acceptable forms of ID include a U.S. passport card, DHS trusted traveler cards and a military ID.
Get to the airport early when traveling
For the matter of any protocols during the traveling with or without a REAL ID process, the Erie International Airport is expecting to handle everything case by case.
"The suggestion nationwide is to get to the airport early," Martin said. "That way you don't have any hiccups."
Travelers could expect some delays in the process, especially if traveling through a larger airport with multiple flights going out around the same time.
"Here if we have a Breeze flight going out the same time as an American (flight), there's about 200 passengers trying to go through security," Martin said. "If you are at another airport and trying to go somewhere like Las Vegas, there's a lot more people going through security. So being prepared and having proper identification would be helpful."
If you are not able to get a REAL ID before the May 7 enforcement date but have to travel through aircraft, Martin says it would be wise to bring other forms of official identification including a Social Security card, passport and or a birth certificate.
"But those sort of things can assist you with proving your identity to the TSA officers," Martin said.
More: Erie airport passenger numbers are climbing. How that could fuel new flights
If you need additional information on a REAL ID, visit the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania's website.
Contact Nicholas Sorensen at Nsorensen@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Why a REAL ID is important to have when flying
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