Government backtracks on the documents you need to fly

DHS Secretary Kristi Noem clarified that 'people will be allowed to fly.'

May 7, 2025 - 21:24

Government backtracks on the documents you need to fly

While former President George W. Bush passed the Real ID Act in May 2005 as a response to the 9/11 attacks, implementing a single standard of identification that passengers would be required to present when boarding a plane has faced repeated challenges over the ensuing two decades.

As standards for obtaining a driver's license differ in different states, many struggled to convince their residents to apply for a more enhanced form. A 2008 deadline to obtain a Real ID document to fly was later pushed back to 2011 and then to 2015, 2018, 2020, and 2024.

With the new Trump administration, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem has repeatedly reiterated that the May 7, 2025, date set last year is the definitive deadline — throughout the spring, both the TSA and the DHS launched a widespread campaign telling travelers to update their identification or risk not being able to board a flight.

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'May be diverted to a different line, have an extra step'

But amid long lines outside government buildings across the country, Noem told a congressional panel that travelers who lack a Real ID-compliant form of identification "will be allowed to fly."

This marks a significant reversal of previous sternly worded warnings that anyone without the ID would be turned away from their flight.

"If it's not compliant, they may be diverted to a different line, have an extra step, but people will be allowed to fly," Noem said on May 6, adding that over 81% of travelers already have the required form of identification.

Noem did not specify what the extra steps would be or how long it would take to train TSA agents on how to deal with travelers who do not have a Real ID. Since the May 7 deadline has now passed, travelers without it have presumably been boarding throughout Wednesday.

States that have high numbers of people without a Real ID due to the type of licenses that were issued over the years include New York, Michigan, Minnesota, and Arizona. Other forms of Real ID-compliant identification include a passport, a permanent residency card, or an enhanced driver's license issued by certain states.

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Noem said that she does not expect any delays to result from the enhanced enforcement and reiterated that the TSA and the DHS "will make sure [the process] is as seamless as possible."

Industry experts, however, have said that the back-and-forth on enforcement will continue to sow confusion among travelers, while the extra screening will by definition cause longer lines.

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"We encourage all travelers — whether they use CLEAR Plus, TSA PreCheck, or the standard lane — to bring a passport as a precaution and arrive at the airport earlier than usual as enforcement rolls out," Kyle McLaughlin, CLEAR executive vice president for aviation and travel, told news outlet Axios while also adding that those who do not have it "may experience some confusion at TSA checkpoints."

TSA spokesperson Daniel Velez also said that the agency "strongly encourage[s] passengers without a REAL ID compliant ID to arrive to the airport earlier than usual."