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Timeline: The Path to Real ID Implementation
Illustration by Daniel Medina
The deadline for Real ID is now six days away. It’s only taken 20 years to get this far, which is bad even by government standards.
Yes, Covid played a role, but the Real ID Act passed in May 2005. It had already taken 15 years when Covid became the excuse to extend the deadline not once, but twice more.
The extensions were welcome news to many of us. The last thing any sane person wants to do is hang out at the DMV for a few hours. Fortunately, you don’t need a Real ID for domestic air travel if you have a passport, which is something to consider when reading figures on the percentages of state populations that are Real ID compliant.
For example, New Jersey has the distinction of having the lowest rate of Real ID compliance at just 17%. However, it has the nation’s highest rate of passport ownership. Estimates vary, but this Center for American Progress report puts it at 80%.
On the other end of the spectrum, Mississippi has one of the highest percentages of Real ID compliance at 97%, but also has one of the lowest percentages of passport holders.
You can also bypass Real ID with a passport card and military ID. Here’s a list of acceptable IDs.
Nationwide, about 60 percent of the country 18 and older have a Real ID. Seven states and Washington, D.C., have at least 99% compliance.
You can click on your state here to see what documents your state accepts. While the requirements for Real ID are nationwide — such as proof of residence and Social Security number — the documents that are accepted vary.
Now, on to the Real ID timeline.
November 27, 2002President George W. Bush signs H.R. 4628, authorizing the launch of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks on the United States, better known as the 9/11 Commission. The Commission investigates every dimension of the September 11 terrorist attacks and makes recommendations to prevent future attacks.
July 22, 2004The 9/11 Commission Report is published. One of the recommendations made by the Commission is a national standard for driver’s licenses:
Secure identification should begin in the United States. The federal government should set standards for the issuance of birth certificates and sources of identification, such as drivers licenses. Fraud in identification documents is no longer just a problem of theft. At many entry points to vulnerable facilities, including gates for boarding aircraft, sources of identification are the last opportunity to ensure that people are who they say they are and to check whether they are terrorists.
911report7.22MB ∙ PDF fileDownloadDownloadDecember 17, 2004Bush signs the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004. Section 7212 of the 235-page bill requires the secretary of transportation to devise baseline standards for identification documents, including driver’s licenses, “issued by States for use by Federal agencies for identification purposes.” The bill tasks the secretary with overseeing a “negotiated rulemaking process” that includes representatives from the states and bans federal agencies from accepting state-issued identification documents that do not meet those standards two years after they are implemented.
January 26, 2005Republican Congressman Jim Sensenbrenner of Wisconsin introduces H.R. 418, the purpose of which is “to establish and rapidly implement regulations for State driver’s license and identification document security standards.” (Sensenbrenner also introduced the USA PATRIOT Act in October 2001.)
May 11, 2005Bush signs the Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act for Defense, the Global War on Terror, and Tsunami Relief. The bill includes the Real ID Act and repeals Section 7212 of the IRTPA. The Act establishes a series of nine criteria for state-issued driver’s licenses and identification cards. They are:
(1) The person’s full legal name.
(2) The person’s date of birth.
(3) The person’s gender.
(4) The person’s driver’s license or identification card number.
(5) A digital photograph of the person.
(6) The person’s address of principle residence.
(7) The person’s signature.
(8) Physical security features designed to prevent tampering, counterfeiting, or duplication of the document for fraudulent purposes.
(9) A common machine-readable technology, with defined minimum data elements.
These standards must be met by May 11, 2008.
Statute 119 Pg231343KB ∙ PDF fileDownloadDownloadMarch 1, 2007The Department of Homeland Security states that it will grant extensions for Real ID compliance to any state that requests them. This first extension would give a state until December 31, 2009, to be compliant.
May 11, 2008The original deadline for Real ID implementation comes and goes without a single state complying with the Act’s criteria. All 50 states are automatically granted extensions.
December 20, 2013The National Security Council establishes a timetable for states to implement Real ID. This schedule requires all state-issued driver’s licenses and identification cards to be Real ID-compliant by October 1, 2020.
April 27, 2020Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Secretary of Homeland Security Chad Wolf announces that the Oct. 1 deadline for “card-based enforcement” of Real ID will be extended to Oct. 1, 2021.
December 5, 2022After several more delays, the Department of Homeland Security announces a final implementation deadline of May 7, 2025. The DHS press release emphasizes that, after the deadline, the Transportation Security Administration will be barred from accepting driver’s licenses and identification cards that are non-compliant.
April 11, 2025No more extensions. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem reaffirms on X that May 7 remains the deadline.
Starting May 7, you will need a Real ID to travel by air or to visit federal buildings in the United States. These IDs keep our country safe because they help prevent fraud and they enhance security. Please do your part to protect our country. Go today, and don’t delay.
May 6, 2025Noem tells members of the House Appropriations Committee that travelers who have not obtained a Real ID will still be able to fly after the May 7 deadline. However, they will be subject to additional security screenings.
Noem says, “If [a traveler’s ID is] not compliant, they may be diverted to a different line, have an extra step, but people will be allowed to fly.”
She does not indicate how long this arrangement will last.
View all episodes
Illustration by Daniel Medina
The deadline for Real ID is now six days away. It’s only taken 20 years to get this far, which is bad even by government standards.
Yes, Covid played a role, but the Real ID Act passed in May 2005. It had already taken 15 years when Covid became the excuse to extend the deadline not once, but twice more.
The extensions were welcome news to many of us. The last thing any sane person wants to do is hang out at the DMV for a few hours. Fortunately, you don’t need a Real ID for domestic air travel if you have a passport, which is something to consider when reading figures on the percentages of state populations that are Real ID compliant.
For example, New Jersey has the distinction of having the lowest rate of Real ID compliance at just 17%. However, it has the nation’s highest rate of passport ownership. Estimates vary, but this Center for American Progress report puts it at 80%.
On the other end of the spectrum, Mississippi has one of the highest percentages of Real ID compliance at 97%, but also has one of the lowest percentages of passport holders.
You can also bypass Real ID with a passport card and military ID. Here’s a list of acceptable IDs.
Nationwide, about 60 percent of the country 18 and older have a Real ID. Seven states and Washington, D.C., have at least 99% compliance.
You can click on your state here to see what documents your state accepts. While the requirements for Real ID are nationwide — such as proof of residence and Social Security number — the documents that are accepted vary.
Now, on to the Real ID timeline.
November 27, 2002President George W. Bush signs H.R. 4628, authorizing the launch of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks on the United States, better known as the 9/11 Commission. The Commission investigates every dimension of the September 11 terrorist attacks and makes recommendations to prevent future attacks.
July 22, 2004The 9/11 Commission Report is published. One of the recommendations made by the Commission is a national standard for driver’s licenses:
Secure identification should begin in the United States. The federal government should set standards for the issuance of birth certificates and sources of identification, such as drivers licenses. Fraud in identification documents is no longer just a problem of theft. At many entry points to vulnerable facilities, including gates for boarding aircraft, sources of identification are the last opportunity to ensure that people are who they say they are and to check whether they are terrorists.
911report7.22MB ∙ PDF fileDownloadDownloadDecember 17, 2004Bush signs the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004. Section 7212 of the 235-page bill requires the secretary of transportation to devise baseline standards for identification documents, including driver’s licenses, “issued by States for use by Federal agencies for identification purposes.” The bill tasks the secretary with overseeing a “negotiated rulemaking process” that includes representatives from the states and bans federal agencies from accepting state-issued identification documents that do not meet those standards two years after they are implemented.
January 26, 2005Republican Congressman Jim Sensenbrenner of Wisconsin introduces H.R. 418, the purpose of which is “to establish and rapidly implement regulations for State driver’s license and identification document security standards.” (Sensenbrenner also introduced the USA PATRIOT Act in October 2001.)
May 11, 2005Bush signs the Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act for Defense, the Global War on Terror, and Tsunami Relief. The bill includes the Real ID Act and repeals Section 7212 of the IRTPA. The Act establishes a series of nine criteria for state-issued driver’s licenses and identification cards. They are:
(1) The person’s full legal name.
(2) The person’s date of birth.
(3) The person’s gender.
(4) The person’s driver’s license or identification card number.
(5) A digital photograph of the person.
(6) The person’s address of principle residence.
(7) The person’s signature.
(8) Physical security features designed to prevent tampering, counterfeiting, or duplication of the document for fraudulent purposes.
(9) A common machine-readable technology, with defined minimum data elements.
These standards must be met by May 11, 2008.
Statute 119 Pg231343KB ∙ PDF fileDownloadDownloadMarch 1, 2007The Department of Homeland Security states that it will grant extensions for Real ID compliance to any state that requests them. This first extension would give a state until December 31, 2009, to be compliant.
May 11, 2008The original deadline for Real ID implementation comes and goes without a single state complying with the Act’s criteria. All 50 states are automatically granted extensions.
December 20, 2013The National Security Council establishes a timetable for states to implement Real ID. This schedule requires all state-issued driver’s licenses and identification cards to be Real ID-compliant by October 1, 2020.
April 27, 2020Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Secretary of Homeland Security Chad Wolf announces that the Oct. 1 deadline for “card-based enforcement” of Real ID will be extended to Oct. 1, 2021.
December 5, 2022After several more delays, the Department of Homeland Security announces a final implementation deadline of May 7, 2025. The DHS press release emphasizes that, after the deadline, the Transportation Security Administration will be barred from accepting driver’s licenses and identification cards that are non-compliant.
April 11, 2025No more extensions. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem reaffirms on X that May 7 remains the deadline.
Starting May 7, you will need a Real ID to travel by air or to visit federal buildings in the United States. These IDs keep our country safe because they help prevent fraud and they enhance security. Please do your part to protect our country. Go today, and don’t delay.
May 6, 2025Noem tells members of the House Appropriations Committee that travelers who have not obtained a Real ID will still be able to fly after the May 7 deadline. However, they will be subject to additional security screenings.
Noem says, “If [a traveler’s ID is] not compliant, they may be diverted to a different line, have an extra step, but people will be allowed to fly.”
She does not indicate how long this arrangement will last.