Most Americans will need a new ID to fly, starting in October

FILE - This Wednesday, July 17, 2019 file photo shows Southwest Airlines planes at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport in Phoenix. The Transportation Department's inspector general said in a report Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2020 that Southwest Airlines continues to fly airplanes with safety concerns, putting 17 million passengers at risk, while federal officials do a poor job overseeing the airline. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin, File) (Ross D. Franklin, Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

CNN – Think your driver’s license is enough to get you through airport security in the United States and onto your domestic flight?

Maybe not.

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Some two-thirds of US state driver's licenses are not compliant with a post-9/11 security law set to go into affect on October 1. Those who are not compliant will not be able to fly if they don't have other forms of "REAL ID-compliant" identification.

Concerned about the impact on travel, the head of the US Department of Homeland Security loosened the restrictions this week, allowing the various state agencies to accept identity documents electronically.

"Ensuring every state is REAL ID compliant by October is one of the Department's top priorities," said DHS Acting Secretary Chad F. Wolf, in a press release. "While progress has been made, the real work is still ahead because approximately two-thirds of all licenses are presently not compliant with REAL ID.

“Rest assured, our Department will continue to examine other viable options to improve upon this process and continues doing everything it can to inform Americans of the requirement to obtain a REAL ID before the full enforcement deadline later this year.”


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