![]() For example, your state’s department of motor vehicles website may have information about REAL ID, including a description of how the state’s REAL ID cards will be marked to distinguish them from non–REAL ID cards. If your license or ID does not have a star marking, you may want to do an Internet search for information about your state’s REAL ID license and ID cards. A REAL ID card may have one of the following markings in the upper part of the card, all of which markings include a star: To comply with the REAL ID Act’s requirements, a state’s REAL ID license and ID cards must look different, in some way, from its non–REAL ID cards. citizens may opt to get a standard license or ID card because they don’t have the documents required to obtain a REAL ID card, they can’t afford the fee for a REAL ID document, or they have concerns about privacy. citizens and lawfully residing immigrants to choose to get either a standard or a REAL ID license or ID. ![]() Having a non–REAL ID (standard) license or state ID does not reveal anything about the cardholder’s immigration status. But DHS warns, “Although a REAL ID card may not be necessary for other purposes such as driving, voting, banking, or applying for benefits or employment, we recommend checking with the relevant state, local, or commercial entities regarding their specific identification requirements.” After May 7, 2025, individuals with these licenses and IDs may be able to use them for any purpose except the specific “official federal purposes” examples of the latter are traveling by commercial aircraft or entering a nuclear facility. States that issue REAL ID licenses may continue to issue non–REAL ID (“standard”) licenses and IDs to their residents as well. Although states are not required to issue REAL ID licenses, all 50 states plus the District of Columbia and four out of five territories are now compliant with REAL ID requirements and are issuing REAL ID licenses. DHS reviews states’ procedures to certify that they comply with the REAL ID Act. States also determine which documents they require driver’s license applicants to present in order to get a license. But states may not issue a REAL ID license to people whose DACA has expired, unless they have another lawful immigration status. Most, but not all, states allow DACA recipients to get a REAL ID license. (For more information about the REAL ID Act, see the REAL ID section of NILC’s “Access to Driver’s Licenses Toolkit.” ) Can DACA recipients get a REAL ID–compliant license or state photo ID card?Įligibility for a driver’s license and the types of driver’s licenses available to various immigrants depends on the state. State enhanced driver’s licenses (EDLs) designated as acceptable border-crossing documents by DHS will continue to be accepted. To be eligible for REAL ID licenses or ID cards, applicants must, at a minimum, present documents showing (1) full legal name, (2) date of birth, (3) Social Security number, (4) two proofs of address of principal residence, and (5) lawful immigration status.Īs of May 7, 2025, non–REAL ID (or “standard”) driver’s licenses and state ID cards will no longer be accepted by TSA for boarding federally regulated commercial aircraft. The REAL ID Act establishes federal minimum security standards that state-issued driver’s licenses and identification cards (hereafter referred to as “REAL ID driver’s licenses or identification cards”) must meet in order to be accepted as identification for certain official federal purposes. Photo by Suhyeon Choi on Unsplash What is REAL ID? To travel by commercial aircraft on or after May 7, 2025, people will be required to present either (1) a REAL ID–compliant license or state identification document or (2) some other acceptable alternative document from the TSA list of acceptable documents, described more fully below. DHS published a final rule in the federal register on March 9, 2023, codifying the deadline. DHS explained that a postponement of the May 3, 2023, compliance date set in 2021 was needed in part to “address the lingering impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the ability to obtain a REAL ID driver’s license or identification card. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced that, effective May 7, 2025, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) will no longer accept driver’s licenses that are not compliant with the REAL ID Act (see below) as proof of identification to board commercial aircraft. We advise undocumented individuals, including those whose DACA has expired, to seek advice from a qualified immigration attorney before traveling by air. This factsheet provides information specifically for DACA recipients who have a currently valid work permit and are planning to travel within the United States by airplane. REAL ID and Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA)
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