There have been a number of articles on the web lately about how residents of Louisiana, Minnesota, New Hampshire and New York will be required to use passports to travel domestically next year due to the REAL ID Act. As a professional travel agent, I am trained to monitor situations that may impact your travel plans and to recommend steps they can take make sure things go smoothly.
The Department of Homeland Security will eventually require all State-issued drivers licences to use "machine-readable technology" or chips to reduce the ability of travelers to present fake documents to go through security. The REAL ID Act establishes minimum standards all states must meet so that their driver's licenses comply. As of now, there are four states who have been late in complying: Louisiana, Minnesota, New Hampshire and New York, so residents of those states are faced with the possibility that their licenses won't be accepted as valid identification at the airport.
The deadline for compliance with the REAL ID Act is to be no earlier than January 1, 2016, and ample notice will be provided to the public when a firm deadline for enforcement will go into effect. Most in the industry expect that the deadline will be extended to allow states not currently in compliance to catch up, but it hasn't been announced yet.
It is possible that an extension will be granted allowing you to continue to use your non-REAL ID compliant driver's licenses into 2016. But if an extension is not granted, you may be in a bind if you are planning on traveling in 2016, even if your travel is within the U.S.
My recommendation is that you apply for a passport now so you will be ready. You will not only be able to use it for international travel (including to Canada, the Caribbean and Mexico), but it will be accepted universally as a form of identification. Even if you don't typically travel internationally, a passport is highly recommended when cruising into Canada, Mexico or the Caribbean, even if the cruise starts and ends in a US port.
I also encourage you to sign up for the DHS’ Global Entry program, which enables you to pass through U.S. Customs/Immigration much more quickly and also allows you to use TSA’s Precheck airport security lines. I have personally used this to make travel much easier! In this era of tight flight connections and delayed flights, being able to breeze through customs and security checkpoints is well worth the $100 fee.
To get more information about the REAL ID Act, click here.
Topics: Tips