Valid ID Proof for Domestic Flights

Starting January 22, 2018, passengers flying out of nine states may need a passport to get on any flight, domestic or international, per new TSA rules. It’s nice to know that air travel is going to get more complicated. This is a follow-up post for an earlier article  Federal Facilities no Longer Accepting Identification from 5 States
Currently, nine states

  • Kentucky
  • Maine
  • Minnesota
  • Missouri
  • Montana
  • Oklahoma
  • Pennsylvania
  • South Carolina
  • Washington

don’t issue state IDs that meet federally required ID security requirements. The REAL ID Act of 2005 mandated changes to state IDs to prevent the bad guys from getting a fake ID or fake drivers license.

These states have around three months to roll out improvements to their state IDs and drivers licenses so that they can meet Uncle Sam’s new measures. Otherwise, you’ll have to apply for or reestablish a passport, visa, before you can get past TSA and get on that business or vacation plane to another U.S. city.

Other government IDs that will work are permanent resident cards (green cards) and military IDs.

TSA ID proof

Will TSA Accept Your State’s ID?

To meet the federal government’s new standards and beat the January 22, 2018, deadline, some of the states are trying to straighten out their ID cards and driving licenses, so you don’t need a passport to board a passenger airplane. You can check how your state is doing here on the Transportation Security Administrations  (TSA) website.

The REAL ID Act establishes minimum security standards for license issuance and production and prohibits Federal agencies from accepting for certain purposes driver’s licenses and identification cards from states not meeting the Act’s minimum standards. The purposes covered by the Act are: accessing Federal facilities, entering nuclear power plants, and, boarding federally regulated commercial aircraft.

Once again, if you’re flying out of one of the nine states listed above and they haven’t  made federally required changes before January 22, you may need a passport for domestic travel.  Until our air-travel ID requirements settle down, your best bet is to use a passport to fly anywhere; this applies to all domestic air travel.

The federal government is making it harder to get through the security check-in at airports. But the new move will make travel safer and is another example of life on earth in 2017.

See you later.

About the Author David Robinson

Hi, I'm David Robinson, sharpened in Japan, and polished in the Sanctuary. On a relentless mission to watch out for my Tribe, and share what I learn along the way.

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