If you're planning to fly anywhere in the US, starting next month, a regular driver's license won't cut it.
After years of delays, May 7th is the official deadline to get your Real ID.
Across the country, compliant IDs will have a marking at the top of the card, typically a gold or black star. In Arizona, that marking is a gold star.
According to the Arizona Department of Transportation, if you go to the MVD to get one, you'll need to bring:
- Proof of identity (birth certificate, passport, or passport card)
- Social security number (you don't need your actual card, just the number)
- Proof of Arizona residency (two printed documents with your Arizona address on them)
Officials say there will be "phased enforcement," meaning you'll get a warning if you don't have it by the May 7th deadline.
You will be able to use a passport when flying domestically if you don't have your Real ID.
The REAL ID Act, which was passed by Congress in 2005, enacted the 9/11 Commission’s recommendation that the federal government enhance security standards for identification.
“REAL ID state-issued identification cards significantly strengthen identity verification, which is a linchpin in transportation security,” said a spokesperson for the Transportation Security Administration, the DHS aviation security agency whose officers check passengers’ identification at US airport checkpoints.
