In a move that shouldn’t surprise anyone at this point, the Department of Homeland Security is once again delaying the requirement to have a Real ID for air travel. The last deadline was in October 2020 but was postponed by one year to October 2021 because of COVID.
DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas announced that the date has been pushed back again, this time to May 3, 2023.
There have been many problems with the Real ID program since its creation in response to the 9/11 attacks. The biggest hurdle was getting all 50 states to comply with the requirements of the program. That roadblock was finally cleared in 2020 when every state finally issued Real ID-compliant Drivers Licenses and Identification Cards.
However, just offering the cards isn’t enough. You need to get one to everyone in your state who wants to use it to get through the security checkpoint at the airport. Currently, only 43% of all licenses in the US are Real ID compliant.
To make things more difficult, many states require people to apply for a Real ID Drivers License in person. With COVID shutting down DMV offices and limiting capacity and requiring appointments due to social distancing, the DHS is giving states another 19 months to get the updated ID to all residents.
Who’s taking odds if this will finally be the last delay to enforcing the new rules?
Want to comment on this post? Great! Read this first to help ensure it gets approved.
#stayhealthy #staysafe #washyourhands #wearamask #getyourCOVIDvaccine
Like this post? Please share it! We have plenty more just like it and would love it if you decided to hang around and get emailed notifications of when we post. Or maybe you’d like to join our Facebook group – we have 20,000+ members and we talk and ask questions about travel (including Disney parks), creative ways to earn frequent flyer miles and hotel points, how to save money on or for your trips, get access to travel articles you may not see otherwise, etc. Whether you’ve read our posts before or this is the first time you’re stopping by, we’re really glad you’re here and hope you come back to visit again!
This post first appeared on Your Mileage May Vary
Join our mailing list to receive the latest news and updates from our team.