This article was prepared with the assistance of ABIL, the Alliance of Business Immigration Lawyers, of which Loan Huynh is an active member.
The Department of State reminded U.S. travelers that by May 7, 2025, their documents must be REAL ID compliant to board domestic flights and access certain federal facilities. The passport book and passport card are both acceptable for REAL ID purposes.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) explained that federal agencies, including DHS and the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), may only accept state-issued driver’s licenses and identification cards as identification for purposes of accessing federal facilities — including TSA airport security checkpoints — if the license or card was issued by a REAL ID-compliant state in accordance with REAL ID security standards (meaning the license or card must include the REAL ID-compliant star marking). Enhanced Driver’s Licenses (EDL) issued by Washington, Michigan, Minnesota, New York and Vermont are considered acceptable alternatives to REAL ID-compliant cards and will also be accepted for official REAL ID purposes, DHS said. (Most EDLs do not contain the star marking and this is acceptable.)
