Latest news with #REALIDActof2005
Yahoo
6 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Pennsylvania's REAL ID program recertified by U.S. Department of Homeland Security
HARRISBURG, Pa. (WTAJ) — Pennsylvanians looking to fly domestically or access secure federal buildings can continue to use REAL ID thanks to a fresh stamp of federal approval. The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) announced Wednesday, June 11, that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Transportation Security Administration has recertified the commonwealth's REAL ID program as fully compliant with the federal REAL ID Act of 2005. The certification means PennDOT can continue to issue REAL ID-compliant driver's licenses and photo identification cards. These IDs are required to board domestic flights or enter certain federal facilities and military bases. Federal law requires states to be recertified every three years to maintain compliance. REAL ID has been an optional service in Pennsylvania since its rollout, and PennDOT continues to offer it to residents who want federally recognized identification. The recertification confirms that PennDOT's systems and practices meet the rigorous security standards required under federal law. To get a REAL ID, residents must provide documents verifying their identity, Social Security number, Pennsylvania residency, and any legal name changes. A full list of accepted documents and application steps is available at There is a one-time $30 fee to obtain a REAL ID, in addition to the standard renewal cost. Once issued, future renewals of the ID do not include additional REAL ID-related fees. PennDOT offers two options for applying: residents can visit one of 15 REAL ID Centers for same-day issuance or apply at a driver license center to receive their ID by mail within 15 days. Residents who received their first Pennsylvania license or ID after Sept. 1, 2003, may already have the necessary documentation on file and can apply online for pre-verification. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Epoch Times
20-05-2025
- Epoch Times
TSA Says Nearly 7 Percent of Air Travelers Don't Have ‘REAL ID'
Nearly 7 percent of travelers flying through U.S. airports still do not have a REAL ID-compliant form of identification, Transportation Security Administration (TSA) Acting Administrator Ha Nguyen McNeill wrote in The new enforcement began on May 7, marking the end of repeated delays to implement a key post-9/11 security measure. Under the REAL ID Act of 2005, standard driver's licenses must meet stricter federal security standards to be accepted at airport checkpoints. More than 93 percent of passengers now present either a REAL ID or an acceptable alternative, such as a passport, McNeill said. McNeill noted that, as the 9/11 Commission Report stated, travel documents are 'as important as weapons' for terrorists. 'This Administration will no longer delay the decades-long deferment of these requirements,' she added, noting collaboration with Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. TSA was formed under DHS in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in the United States. McNeill said the enforcement comes as TSA braces for record-breaking passenger volumes during the 2026 World Cup across 11 U.S. cities and the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. The agency is committed to improving both security and the traveler experience, she said, calling this period a 'strategic crossroads' for the agency and for the broader U.S. transportation network. Related Stories 5/7/2025 5/6/2025 McNeill highlighted the rollout of upgraded screening technologies. As of April, TSA had deployed more than 2,100 Credential Authentication Technology (CAT) machines and nearly 1,000 Computed Tomography (CT) scanners. CAT machines verify IDs and boarding information, and many now support mobile driver's licenses and optional facial recognition. CT scanners allow passengers to keep laptops and liquids in bags by generating 3D images of carry-on contents. Still, a full rollout to all 432 commercial airports is years away, the agency said. TSA expects to finish installing CAT machines nationwide by 2049 and CT scanners by 2043, barring further delays. The agency screened 904 million passengers, 494 million checked bags, and 2.1 billion carry-on bags in 2024, said McNeill, who described these as 'record highs' for U.S. airports. She added that 3 million passengers are screened on peak days. The written testimony further emphasized a shift in priorities under Secretary Noem, saying DHS is moving toward 'innovation, organizational accountability, and a renewed focus on passenger experience and security' and away from the Biden administration's focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). 'With continued support from Congress and this Committee, a screening process that is efficient, technologically integrated, secure, and more affordable to the American taxpayer is within our grasp,' she said.
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- Yahoo
How to know if you have a REAL ID in Wisconsin:
(WFRV) – Planning to fly within the United States? Make sure your identification is REAL ID compliant, as federal requirements are now in effect. In Wisconsin, you can tell if your driver's license or state ID is compliant by checking for a star in the upper right-hand corner. Marinette County crash leads to the death of an 18-year-old woman If your card has the star, it meets the federal standards set by the REAL ID Act of 2005. REAL IDs are required for domestic air travel and for accessing certain federal facilities, such as military bases or federal buildings. 'Impacts and implications on community': Oshkosh PD investigating numerous graffiti incidents on City's southside If your ID does not have a star, you can still use it—just not for flying or entering those secured federal facilities. Residents who do not plan to fly do not need to upgrade. To check your REAL ID status or learn how to get one, visit Wisconsin DMV's REAL ID page. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Epoch Times
07-05-2025
- Politics
- Epoch Times
The REAL ID Deadline Is Here: What You Need to Know
WASHINGTON—As of May 7, the REAL ID Act of 2005 will come into full effect. Everyone in the United States will require new forms of government-issued photo identification to board a domestic flight or enter a federal facility, and many Americans will need to change their IDs to comply. Below, we list five key details about the REAL ID program. 1. May 7 Deadline Remains, but Non-REAL ID Holders May Still Fly Ordinarily, under the REAL ID Act, anyone seeking to board a domestic flight must present a REAL ID or a compliant document at airports. The deadline when that would come into effect is May 7, 2025. Obtaining a REAL ID requires additional documents—such as proof of lawful status in the United States—beyond those regularly provided when obtaining a driver's license. On May 6, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced that an exemption would be granted to enable non-REAL ID holders to fly even after May 7. She said that travelers without REAL ID will be diverted to a different queue at Transportation Security Administration (TSA) screening checkpoints, and would undergo additional screening steps, but they would be permitted to board flights. 'What will happen, tomorrow, is folks will come through the line ... if [their ID is] not compliant, they may be diverted to a different line [and] have an extra step, but people will be allowed to fly,' Noem told the U.S. House of Representatives' Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security during an oversight hearing. Noem's statement is a new development in terms of REAL ID planning. As of writing, neither the TSA nor the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) had Related Stories 4/15/2025 5/6/2025 The rules for international travel have not changed, and travelers will still need a passport booklet to fly internationally to and from the United States. 2. Knowing Whether You Have a REAL ID, or Not Usually, a REAL ID takes the form of a driver's license or a non-driver photo ID card issued by a state's Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) or equivalent. States may issue such documents even if they are not REAL IDs. If your document is also a REAL ID, this is indicated by the presence of a black or gold star in the top corner of the plastic card. At present, every state, the District of Columbia, and federal territory issues driver's licenses and non-driver ID cards that are REAL IDs. Some also issue non-REAL ID cards to citizens and residents. These non-REAL ID cards are often cheaper to obtain and do not require as many supporting documents, making them attractive to individuals who merely want a license or ID for everyday purposes. They are also regularly issued to illegal immigrants by some states. Usually, these non-REAL ID documents will have a notation that reads 'Not Valid for Federal Purposes' or an equivalent and will not bear the required black or gold star. These documents are not REAL ID compliant and will be invalid for flying after May 7, save for the temporary exemption announced by Noem. Temporary driver's licenses, usually printed on paper, even with the requisite star, are not recognized by the TSA as being valid for REAL ID purposes. The document must be plastic or permanent. It is unclear whether mobile driver's licenses, downloaded to the Apple Wallet and Google Wallet programs, will be accepted for REAL ID purposes. 3. Compliant Documents, Such as a Passport, Can Be Used in Place of REAL ID REAL ID, as we have However, the U.S. government will recognize, for REAL ID purposes, other documents that are not REAL IDs, but which are issued with similar standards of thorough verification of identity. Individuals can use these documents instead of REAL ID for domestic air travel, entering federal buildings, and any other purpose for which REAL ID may be required. The U.S. passport booklets and U.S. passport cards; Lawful Permanent Resident cards—'green cards'—held by foreign nationals who are admitted as permanent residents of the United States; Enhanced driver's licenses and Enhanced IDs issued by certain states, such as Washington, Minnesota, Michigan, New York, and Vermont, which denote U.S. citizenship and may be used to cross land borders; Trusted Traveler Program cards issued by the DHS, such as Global Entry, NEXUS, SENTRI, and FAST cards; Tribal Nation photo ID cards, for Native Americans who are members of a federally recognized Native/Indian Tribe; Foreign passport booklets issued by a foreign government—preferably, the same document used to enter the United States; I-766 Employment Authorization Document cards, for foreign nationals who are authorized by DHS to work in the United States—such as F-1 status students undergoing 'Optional Practical Training' or 'Curricular Practical Training'; Canadian driver's licenses, issued by Canadian provinces to citizens and residents of Canada who are visiting the United States. Anyone with these documents may use them instead of REAL ID for the same purposes. 4. Illegal Immigrants Cannot Obtain REAL ID To obtain a REAL ID, the applicant needs to provide proof of lawful status in the United States. U.S. citizens are ordinarily required to provide proof of citizenship, such as a passport, birth certificate issued by a U.S. jurisdiction, naturalization certificate, consular report of birth abroad (CBRA), or an N-600 Certificate of Citizenship. Foreign nationals, by contrast, must present both their foreign passport and proof of lawful status in the United States, which are inspected by state authorities when applying for a REAL ID. The actual duration of a REAL ID's validity will be limited by the duration of authorized stay for the foreign national in question. A foreign national who entered the United States without inspection, or who overstayed the duration of their status, such as an illegal immigrant, however, will likely not possess documents that indicate lawful presence in the United States. These foreign nationals will not be able to obtain a REAL ID, though they may still use their foreign passport or any other document that is REAL ID-compliant in order to fly. The DHS has indicated that such illegal immigrants should only be flying in the United States if they are seeking to leave the country. ' Illegal aliens should not be allowed to fly in the U.S. UNLESS SELF DEPORTING,' wrote DHS in a It remains an open question as to whether illegal immigrants who have applied for asylum, or received any other immigration relief from removal, may apply for REAL ID. 5. States Are Facing Severe Backlogs for REAL ID Appointments Amid the approaching deadline, Americans have flocked to state DMV offices to obtain REAL IDs. The high demand, heightened review, and additional documentation requirements mean that many states have been overwhelmed, resulting in a shortage of appointments to obtain REAL IDs. This has prevented many from obtaining them before the deadline. The problem has been 'Anticipating the recent increase in demand, which is being seen all over the country, we have made many additional accommodations to service as many customers with REAL ID as possible, including with this new emergency program,' acting New Jersey MVC Chief Administrator Latrecia Littles-Floyd said in a Wait times and booking processes for REAL ID appointments will vary from state to state. While individuals wait for an appointment, they may use a REAL ID-compliant document, or apply for one, which may permanently substitute for a REAL ID.
Yahoo
06-05-2025
- Yahoo
REAL ID deadline: Does your child need one to fly in New York?
The REAL ID enforcement deadline is this week. Starting on May 7, adults will need compliant identification – or an acceptable alternative like a passport – for commercial air travel within the U.S. and to enter certain other facilities. The new rule stems from the REAL ID Act of 2005, which 'established minimum security standards for state-issued driver's licenses and identification cards and prohibits certain federal agencies from accepting for official purposes licenses and identification cards from states that do not meet these standards,' according to the Department of Homeland Security. While travelers over 18 may need to update their documents, the change does not apply to children. Here's what to know. How to get a REAL ID: TSA approves these alternatives to REAL ID if you haven't gotten one yet Do kids need a REAL ID to fly? No. The Transportation Security Administration does not require children to show ID when flying domestically, the agency said on its website. However, adults accompanying minors must do so. Airline rules may vary, however, and some require parents or guardians to bring unaccompanied minors to the departure gate, according to the Department of Transportation. Adults need to have a photo ID for that. Travelers should check their carrier's requirements before flying. Nathan Diller is a consumer travel reporter for USA TODAY based in Nashville. You can reach him at ndiller@ This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Flying with children? What to know about REAL ID requirements
