07/03/2024

How to Get a Real ID License Before the Deadline

In 2025, a new type of driver’s license will be required to board flights in the U.S.

Already planning your next big vacation for next year? If you’re flying within the United States, you better add one more item to that to-do list: Update your license to Real ID. Anyone who has a license that isn't Real ID–certified will not be allowed to board domestic flights in the U.S. starting May 7, 2025. So unless you have a passport on hand, you’ll need to update your license soon.

This regulatory change is two decades in the making. The new identification standard was suggested by the 9/11 Commission in response to the September 11 attacks and signed into law by U.S. President George W. Bush in 2005. While the original deadline for the change was set for three years later, it has been delayed numerous times. But despite previous delays, there has been no indication from the government that this current deadline, set for 2025, will be adjusted again.

Curious about what the new licenses look like, and how to get your own before the deadline passes? Here’s everything you need to know about the switch to Real ID.

Please select this link to read the complete article from WIRED.