Next year, people living in a list of eight states will no longer be permitted to use their driver’s license for domestic air travel.
People who are residents of Kentucky, Maine, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, and Washington will not be able to use their driver’s license to pass through TSA checkpoints, even if they are traveling within the United States. Instead, they will need to use another form of ID, such as a passport, military ID, or resident card.
This new policy won’t be put in place until January 22, 2018, but signs alerting travelers to the change have already been displayed.
The change in policy is being made because the eight states on the list do not meet the government’s security standards, which requires every ID applicant’s identity to be verified, technology to prevent counterfeiting to be embedded within the card, and background checks to be performed on the people who issue a driver’s license.
In 2005, the REAL ID Act was established, and it prevents any federal agency from accepting a driver’s license as an appropriate form of ID from states who don’t meet the policy’s requirements.
Right now, 25 states meet the minimum requirements. Other states have been given an extension to meet the requirements.
On January 30, 2017, IDs from states that do not comply with the requirements will not be accepted as a form of identification for entrance into any federal facilities, including nuclear power plants and military bases. IDs from residents of the states that have been granted an extension will still be able to present their identification during this time period.