Northeastern US residents will need REAL ID cards to board aircraft in 2020

The Transportation Security Administration is reminding residents of New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania that they will need REAL ID cards to board airline flights beginning Oct. 1, 2020.

REAL ID driver’s licenses and identification cards have a small gold star in the upper right corner. They meet federal minimum security standard regulations established under the REAL ID Act of 2005.

Under the law, federal agencies cannot accept driver’s licenses and identification cards from states that do not meet the act’s minimum standards. The goal is to prevent terrorists from evading detection by using false identification.

Passengers who do not have a REAL ID will be turned away from TSA checkpoints.

REAL ID cards are issued by each state’s Department of Motor Vehicles. Individuals must bring with them their current driver’s license or state ID, two proofs of state residency, one proof of their social security number, one proof of legal presence, and one proof of identity.

Starting Jan. 22, 2018, passengers’ without a READ ID were required to present an alternative form of identification along with their drivers’ licenses for domestic air travel.

Most states are compliant with the law but several, including New Jersey and Pennsylvania, filed for an extension.