Starting in 2016, travelers from four U.S. states will not be able to use their driver’s licenses as ID to board domestic flights—a pretty major development considering an estimated 38 percent of Americans don’t have passports.
The standard licenses from New York, Louisiana, Minnesota, New Hampshire, and American Samoa are considered “noncompliant” with the security standards outlined in the Real ID Act, which was enacted back in 2005 but is being implemented in stages. Why are these specific licenses deemed sub-par? In these five places, getting a license doesn’t require proof of citizenship or residency.
The new rules will go into effect sometime in 2016 (the exact date has not been announced), and there will be a three-month forgiveness period, during which people with these licenses will be warned that their IDs are no longer valid for flights. Read full story in Gothamist.
it’s about time they put this bill into act.
I was under the impression that you also don’t need proof of residency or citizenship in Pennsylvania.
Yet you can vote without any ID.
I just flew with over 20 people. Most did not have any ID, some had licenses on them, most didn’t, and they all flew without any issue. Do not sure what this law is accomplishing.