TACOMA — If you’re planning on traveling domestically this Thanksgiving or throughout this holiday season, then you’ve probably wondered if you will need a REAL ID-compliant form of identification.
And the answer to that is no, you don’t need one — yet.
Officials with the Washington State Department of Licensing, Transportation Security Administration, SEA International Airport, and Alaska Airlines announced in a news release earlier this year that Washington residents will need to have a REAL ID-compliant driver’s license, identification card or other acceptable document to board a commercial flight by May 7, 2025.
“We want Washington residents to be ready, and this is a reminder that you have one year to look at your identity document options and determine which one best fits your lifestyle,” stated Marcus Glasper, DOL director, in a press release. “You may already have the travel ID you need if you have one of many REAL ID-compliant documents, including Washington’s enhanced driver license or ID card. We strongly encourage residents not to wait and to prepare now.”
In September, the TSA proposed a rule that would give federal agencies the “flexibility to begin enforcement of the REAL ID regulations on the May 7, 2025, deadline in a manner that takes into account security, operational risk and public impact.”
This rule does not extend the May 7, 2025 deadline, but instead is intended to allow TSA to consider a phased enforcement approach of the REAL ID regulation. Under this rule, passengers traveling without a REAL-ID compliant form of identification or another form of approved identification after the deadline could experience long delays at security checkpoints.
So what is an enhanced driver’s license and an enhanced ID card, and why will you need one by May 2025? Here’s what to know.
Washington’s enhanced driver’s licenses (EDLs) and enhanced ID cards (EIDs) both comply with the federal REAL ID Act that was passed by Congress in 2005 and enacted a “recommendation from the 9/11 Commission that established minimum security standards for state-issued driver licenses and identification cards.”
Washington EDLs and EIDs are valid for domestic air travel and can be used to cross the border of Canada and Mexico by land or sea.
“TSA currently accepts multiple forms of photo identification from travelers as part of our identity verification process. We will continue to do so once the federal enforcement of REAL ID begins,” TSA Federal Security Director for Washington Greg Hawko stated in the news release. “If you are a traveler who prefers to use your state-issued driver license or identification card, please act now to ensure that your photo ID is REAL ID-compliant. That will ensure that you are ready to travel on or after May 7, 2025.”
Aside from traveling, REAL ID’s, EDLs and EIDs will also be needed to enter certain federal buildings once the federal deadline comes around.
