If you’re not a hard-core globetrotter, but still enjoy exploring the national parks throughout the year or have plans to visit out-of-state family once you’ve been vaccinated against COVID-19, then you need to be aware of the changes for US citizens traveling domestically going into effect on May 3, 2023.
In 2005, the United States passed the REAL ID Act mandating that all state-issued identification be compliant with their minimum security standards meant to improve the validity of an ID by adding security markings. States have been given over a decade to phase in compliant IDs, with over half of the United States given extensions to achieve compliance. What this means for you is that if your state-issued ID, such as your driver’s license or your identification card, is not compliant, TSA will no longer be able to accept them for domestic flights beginning May 3, 2023.