Between all the headlines in March and April, forgive us if we've missed this one. If folks haven't updated their driver's license to a REAL ID yet, they've got time to board an aircraft using it for a little while longer.
Essentially, everyone that does not have a REAL ID now has an extra year to renew their driver's license, if they haven't done so already. The original enforcement date was October 1, 2020; that has now been pushed back a year to October 1, 2021. Gone are the days that you can board with a Costco card.
The REAL ID program was part of an initiative to standardize state's driver's licenses or identification cards for federal agency use. It's been going on for while: The legislation was originally passed in 2005, though states were allowed to gradually roll it out until the 2020 deadline.
Fortunately, as we all know it, 2020 has been canceled, and we will resume 2020 next year.
Here is the official statement:
Due to circumstances resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic and the national emergency declaration, the Department of Homeland Security, as directed by President Donald J. Trump, is extending the REAL ID enforcement deadline beyond the current October 1, 2020 deadline. I have determined that states require a twelve-month delay and that the new deadline for REAL ID enforcement is October 1, 2021.
