01/20/2025
In case you were expecting the Real ID enforcement date—currently set for May 7—to be pushed back one more time, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) say that will not be happening.
The federal agencies this week announced a final rule regarding the implementation of Real ID enforcement at airports. Notably, the enforcement date has not changed from May 7, 2025 and the rule finalized the two-year phased period in which agencies may begin card-based enforcement provisions.
What this means: Beginning May 7, Americans traveling domestically via commercial air will need a Real ID to board. As of now, according to the TSA, approximately 56 percent of driver’s licenses in circulation nationally are REAL ID-compliant. It adds that in 34 States, less than 60 percent of IDs in circulation are compliant, and, of those, 22 states have less than 40 percent compliancy.
It's important to note that the DHS does not plan on any future delays, saying, “Because of a history of REAL ID deadlines being extended, DHS believes that the public may continue to expect that additional extensions are likely and not feel urgency to obtain a REAL ID-compliant card. DHS believes this lack of urgency is likely to delay increased adoption in many States despite best efforts to inform the public, potentially leading to last-minute surges in demand for REAL ID-compliant IDs leading up to the deadline.”
Due to this potential surge in last-minute applications, TSA and DHS have determined a two-year phasing-in process will be most beneficial to agencies (airports in particular), which can begin enforcement “tailored to their specific operations.”
The rule will require agencies that use this phased approach to make their plan publicly available on their web page. DHS will also be required to have a publicly available a list of agencies that have coordinated phased enforcement plans.
