If You’re From One of These Five States, You’ll Likely Need a Passport for a Domestic Flight
Driver’s licenses from New York, Louisiana, Minnesota, American Samoa or New Hampshire will no longer be enough to get on a domestic commercial flight.
Starting in 2016, travelers from five U.S. states will not be able to use their
driver’s licenses as ID to board domestic flights—a pretty major development
considering an estimated 38 percent of Americans don’t have passports.
The standard licenses from New York, Louisiana, Minnesota, New Hampshire,
and American Samoa are considered “noncompliant” with the security standards
outlined in the Real ID Act, which was enacted back in 2005 but is being
implemented in stages. Why are these specific licenses deemed sub-par? Security
officials aren’t telling. The spokesperson at the Department of Homeland
Security declined to comment, as did the spokesperson at the U.S. Customs and
Border Protection.
The new rules will go into effect sometime in 2016 (the exact date has not been
announced), and there will be a three-month forgiveness period, when people
with these licenses will be warned that their IDs are no longer valid for flights.
Here’s the breakdown: driver’s licenses from these states can only be used when
paired with an acceptable second form of ID. “Acceptable” IDs include passports
and passport cards, as well as permanent resident cards, U.S. military ID, and
DHS trusted traveler cards such a Global Entry and NEXUS.
The TSA will also accept Enhanced Driver’s Licenses, the kind that are currently
used to replace passports for travel to and from Canada, Mexico, and the
Caribbean. Of the noncompliant states, only New York and New Hampshire
issue enhanced licenses.
For families from these states, at least children under 18 years old do not need
ID when traveling with a companion.
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