As of May 7, 2025, the REAL ID Act is officially in effect, sparking concerns about potential travel delays because of and for those who have yet to comply with the new identification requirements.
Under the law, anyone 18 years or older must present a valid REAL ID — a state-issued driver’s license or other identification card, typically marked with a star — or another federally accepted identification document (ID) to board domestic flights or enter certain secure federal facilities.
While the regulation may seem sudden, the REAL ID Act itself is not, being two decades in the making. President George W. Bush signed the law in 2005, following a recommendation from the 9/11 Commission to strengthen ID standards after terrorists exploited security gaps to carry out the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.
“The attacks on 9/11 were definitely the impetus for the REAL ID Act. There was concern that some of those individuals had fraudulently obtained identification to then get on flights,” said frequent flyer Laurie Lucas. “Before that, all the states could set their own requirements to issue a state-issued ID or a driver’s license, so I think the idea behind REAL ID was to make it so that there was one secure standard.”
The program is overseen by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, with the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), an agency of the department, responsible for enforcing the policy.
Issuing REAL IDs, however, is the responsibility of a state’s Department of Motor Vehicles (DMVs), which are pivotal in advertising the requirement to travelers.
“I first learned about it when I was applying for my driver’s license because, on the page, they had a really big announcement saying that REAL ID would be required,” said senior Tara Krishnan.
Though the original compliance deadline was January 29, 2008, a combination of state readiness issues and delays caused by the COVID-19 pandemic pushed the deadline back repeatedly, ultimately landing nearly 20 years after the law’s passing.
“I did it a year and a half ago because I knew that my driver’s license needed to be renewed, and I expected that the REAL ID deadline wouldn’t get delayed again,” Lucas said. “The last time it was supposed to go into effect was right at the beginning of COVID, and I understood why they delayed it then, but I really didn’t think they would delay it another time.”
San José Mineta International Airport (SJC) has also long anticipated the REAL ID deadline, taking early steps to minimize disruption for travelers.
“As an airport, SJC has been preparing for this for a number of years. The most serious preparation began back in 2023, when we knew that the deadline was coming quickly, and we’ve been working with TSA since at least then to ready our passengers,” said Julie Jarratt, the public information manager at SJC.
According to Jarratt, SJC ramped up their outreach with signage posted in airline check-in queues and security lines, regular social media posts, newsletters, and press releases on their website.
Lucas noticed similar efforts at other airports across the country as well.
“At the airport, I felt like every time I was traveling, there were always signs everywhere about the REAL ID deadline. Even here in Illinois, at least in the Chicago area, there were ads and things like that,” Lucas said.
In fact, Lucas happened to have the REAL ID deadline fall midway through a set of round-trip flights, leaving with no requirement, and returning with one, providing a firsthand look at how things changed, or didn’t, overnight.
“Honestly, you couldn’t even tell it wasn’t the exact same as before. I didn’t see anyone who was being diverted, which told me that either a lot of people realized they needed to have their passport with them, or they had a REAL ID,” Lucas said.
In the Bay Area, Jarratt noted the same experience, with everything going successfully to plan.
“We had additional staff on hand in case of any backups or delays, and it turned out that, on May 7, everything went very smoothly with the changeover,” Jarratt said. “There was a high number of passengers with compliant REAL IDs or passports, and that seems to be the case throughout the Bay Area.”
Still, the shift is not done, and efforts continue to raise compliance rates and awareness.
“The DMV had extra opening hours last weekend for those who were not yet compliant, so it’ll certainly be an ongoing process,” Jarratt said. “But, from SJC’s perspective, it was a pretty seamless and smooth transition. Between the airport, TSA, and the California DMV, it seems like the messaging got through to travelers for the most part.”
With the transition so recent, many remain optimistic that the long-term benefits of the REAL ID Act will outweigh the initial challenges of implementation.
“It’s hard to tell the impact right now because we just haven’t had it that long, but I certainly don’t think that it hurts to have one standard that all the states are following when it comes to issuing and identification,” Lucas said.
Krishnan echoes the sentiment, emphasizing the practical and possibly future advantages of getting a REAL ID now.
“It’s a good idea to have one. You never know when you might be asked to give one, and, if it’s really easy to obtain one, you should just go ahead and get it,” Krishnan said.
