Passports Will Be Necessary As ID For 5 U.S States From 2016

• Travel

Given that almost 38 percent of Americans do not have passports, travelers from five U.S states will still not be able to furnish their drivers’ licenses as ID when boarding domestic flights.

According to guidelines in the Real ID Act, standard licenses from the states of American Samoa, New York, Louisiana, New Hampshire and Minnesota will be considered non-compliant. This Act was enacted in 2005 but has been implemented in stages since then.

So, why are these licenses deemed unsuitable as ID?

Security officials aren’t telling. This includes both spokespersons for the Department of Homeland Security as well as U.S Customs and Border Protection.

Of course, an official date has not been announced yet. But there will be a three-month forgiveness period where people will informed that this form of ID is not valid anymore when flying.

What will work is the pairing of drivers’ licenses from these states along with an acceptable form of ID. Some of these types of ID include passports, passport cards, permanent resident cards, DHS trusted travelers’ cards (like NEXUS and Global Entry) and U.S Military ID.

Apart from this, Enhanced Drivers’ Licenses will also be accepted – the type that is used to replace passports if you travel to and from Mexico, Canada and the Caribbean. Currently, only Vermont and New York issues these types of licenses.

One last thing: families from these states with children under 18 do not require to furnish this type of ID when traveling with a companion.