Fellow travelers hear this – as of January 22, 2018, “passengers with a driver’s license issued by a state that is still not compliant with the REAL ID Act (and has not been granted an extension) will need to show an alternative form of acceptable identification for domestic air travel to board their flight”.
Basically, this means that travelers will be met with difficulty when travelling – by train, plane or boat – without proper identification as determined by the REAL ID Act. Be sure to know the new rules when it comes to identification for travel.
To ensure that your state is compliant, check out this page. If your state is not compliant, driver’s license for travel will not be an acceptable form of identification, instead travelers will need an accepted ID or passport. According to the website, there are other forms of accepted IDs outlined on this page, but this page also says that a driver’s license is acceptable soooooo, I am going to go with what was shared with at a recent HelmsBriscoe regional meeting by Roger Helms, “My key message remains the same –all travelers should be prepared for their IDs to be challenged, even in states with waivers, extensions, or grace periods. Older drivers’ licenses will be an issue in some states, and I would encourage planners and clients to travel with US government-issued IDs/passports, even when traveling domestically, to ensure they do not encounter any issues during this time period.”
If you have any questions; the DHS (Department of Homeland Security) has provided a website with FAQs.
I’ve shared information about ItsEasy a few times, but it is worth mentioning again here – this solution makes it far easier to update a passport Also, check out their app available on Google Play and iTunes.
Happy (Easy) Traveling, Meeting Planners!
Update: According to the Smart Brief for the Business Traveler, Transportation Security Administration spokesman Mike England announced that driver’s licenses from all states will be acceptable identification for domestic US air travel until Oct. 1, 2020.
