DHS delays REAL ID deadline another two years

(The Hill) — The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) introduced it was extending the deadline by roughly two years for air passengers to make use of a REAL ID when touring.

The company introduced on Monday it can start implementing the extra stringent identification requirement on May 7, 2025, after beforehand setting a deadline of May 3, 2023. The announcement marks DHS’s third extension.

REAL ID-compliant paperwork, that are usually signified by a small star, are already required for folks to enter sure restricted federal services.

“DHS continues to work closely with U.S. states, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. territories to meet REAL ID requirements,” Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas stated in an announcement. 

“This extension will give states needed time to ensure their residents can obtain a REAL ID-compliant license or identification card,” he added. “DHS will also use this time to implement innovations to make the process more efficient and accessible. We will continue to ensure that the American public can travel safely.” 

The U.S. started transferring towards the requirement after lawmakers handed a legislation in 2005 establishing minimal safety requirements for driver’s licenses and identification paperwork.

The legislation got here in response to a advice by the 9/11 Commission and seeks to implement extra anti-counterfeiting and anti-fraud measures.

Once the deadline passes, vacationers 18 years and older will need a REAL ID-compliant identification document to go via the nation’s airports.

The requirement was set to enter impact in 2020, however the company started granting extensions because the pandemic shut down Departments of Motor Vehicles and different identification-issuing companies.

Monday’s announcement marks the third extension of the requirement’s growth to air journey.

DHS first granted an extension till October 2021 earlier than issuing a second extension to May 2023, making the most recent announcement the longest extension but of roughly two years.