Real ID postponed again: What travelers need to know

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The Real ID requirement has been pushed back yet again. 

Real IDs -- which are driver’s licenses or identification cards with a gold star in the top right corner -- will now be required for domestic air travel beginning on May 3, 2023, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced Tuesday.

Congress passed the Real ID Act in 2005 as a way to tighten security measures for obtaining an identification card or license after 9/11, according to the DHS website. The act creates "minimum security standards for state-issued driver’s licenses and identification cards," the website says. 

Here’s what else you need to know about Real IDs.

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Real IDs are issued by state DMVs. Currently, all 50 U.S. states, as well as Washington, D.C. and four U.S. territories are "fully compliant with the Real ID requirements," the DHS website says. 

Starting on May 3, 2023, U.S. residents traveling on a domestic flight will be required to have a Real ID in order to go through TSA checkpoints. (iStock)

In order to get a Real ID, adults must provide documentation showing their full legal name, their date of birth, their Social Security Number, two proofs of address of principal residence and their lawful status, according to the website. States may also require additional documentation.

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Children under 18 are not required to have a Real ID for domestic air travel if they are traveling with an adult. However, that adult must have a Real ID themselves, according to the DHS website.

Adults who do not have a Real ID while traveling will not be allowed to go through the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) checkpoint. 

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However, there are a few other alternatives to Real IDs, according to the DHS.

Domestic travelers can also use a U.S. passport, a U.S. passport card, a DHS trusted traveler card -- including Global Entry, NEXUS, SENTRI and FAST), a U.S. Department of Defense ID, a permanent resident card, a border crossing card or a state-issued Enhanced Driver’s License, among others, according to the TSA website.

And though Real IDs -- or other approved documentation -- are required for domestic travel, they are not sufficient for international travel. Passports are still required to cross the border into Canada and Mexico, or for other international trips including international sea cruises, according to the DHS.

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Aside from domestic travel, there are also one or two other reasons to get a Real ID.

According to the DHS website, Real IDs are also required to access federal facilities and to enter nuclear power plants. 

Originally, the deadline to get a Real ID was Oct. 1, 2020, but that was pushed back a year, to Oct. 1, 2021, because of the coronavirus pandemic. 

However, on Tuesday, the DHS announced that the deadline would be pushed back again to May 2023 because of the ongoing pandemic and limited service at DMVs across the country.