The REAL ID Deadline is Coming Up: What to Know Before May 7

Starting May 7, every person 18 years or older boarding a domestic flight will need to present identification that meets federal REAL ID standards: a REAL ID driver’s license or state identification card, a passport or another federally approved document.

Twenty years ago — before the first iPhone went on sale — Congress passed the Real ID Act of 2005, establishing national standards for driver’s licenses and identification cards provided by individual states. At the time, with the United States still in shock from the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, lawmakers behind this bill argued that REAL ID standards would help prevent future such attacks by making it harder for terrorists to travel.

So, what do you need to know about getting a REAL ID now in 2025? Keep reading about who needs to apply for a REAL ID, how you’ll soon need one to fly domestically and why you might have one already. Or jump straight to:

• How can I get a REAL ID?
• Can I still show TSA my old driver’s license after May 7?
• How can transgender or nonbinary people mark their identity on a REAL ID?
• Can undocumented people request a REAL ID?

Who needs to apply for a REAL ID?

According to the law, once that REAL ID deadline arrives on May 7, a federal agency cannot accept any state-issued driver’s license or identification card that does not follow REAL ID standards. This applies when you are entering:

• A Transportation Security Administration (TSA) or security checkpoint at a U.S. airport
• A federal building
• A military base
• A nuclear power plant.

In California, the DMV is the agency responsible for processing REAL ID applications. “Right now, we’re encouraging everybody that if they’re going to travel on an airline — or if they have a need to go to a federal facility — after May 7 of this year, they should get a REAL ID and not wait,” California DMV spokesperson Chris Orrock said.

And even after May 7, you can still apply for a REAL ID.

How do I get a REAL ID?

If you have applied for a driver’s license or state identification card in the past, the process to get a REAL ID is quite similar — but you’ll just need to present a few more documents this time.

You will still need to plan for a visit to the DMV (sorry.) But if you want to speed up the process, agency officials recommend first starting the application online at realid.dmv.ca.gov, where you can choose between a REAL ID driver’s license or a REAL ID state identification card.

The application will ask you to upload:

• A document recognized by the federal government that confirms your identity, which could include: a U.S. passport, a birth certificate, a permanent resident card (a.k.a., a green card) or foreign passport with a valid U.S. visa.
• Two printed documents that confirm your California mailing address, which could include: a bill from PG&E or another utility company, bank statements, tax returns, medical documents, a lease agreement or a mortgage statement.

As you’re drawing together your paperwork, make sure that the first and last name printed on these documents exactly matches the first and last name you are using in your REAL ID application.

Once your application is complete, the online portal will give you the option to book an appointment at the DMV office of your choice, to have your documents verified. When the day of your appointment arrives, make sure to bring with you all the original documents you uploaded to your application. “It needs to be the actual passport or a certified copy of the birth certificate,” said the DMV’s Orrock.

“We don’t have to scan [the documents] and upload them again,” he added. “You’re just showing them, and we’re looking at the screen of what you uploaded. We verify that they match, and then you’re on your way.”

Something else to remember: At the DMV office, you will need to provide your Social Security Number. And if you are applying for a driver’s license for the very first time, you will still need to meet all the other requirements for that license to confirm your driving ability, in addition to providing the required REAL ID documentation.

After May 7, can I still show TSA my ‘old’ driver’s license?

When you look at your current California driver’s license or identification card, what do you see in the upper right corner?

If there is a golden bear with a white star in the middle of it, your driver’s license or identification card already meets REAL ID standards and can be used when passing through TSA airport checkpoints or entering federal buildings.

But if you only see text instead that reads “FEDERAL LIMITS APPLY,” your driver’s license or identification card is not a REAL ID and will not be accepted by TSA agents or security at federal buildings starting May 7. Don’t panic: If you need to travel after May 7 but still don’t have a REAL ID by that date, you can instead use a U.S. or foreign passport, a green card, military ID, a Tribal Nation ID or other federally recognized documents.

California still offers driver’s licenses and identification cards that are not REAL ID-compliant — an option for those who are unable to provide the documentation required for a REAL ID, don’t plan to travel on a commercial flight or visit a federal building. These IDs include the “FEDERAL LIMITS APPLY” text and won’t get you past TSA checkpoints, you can still use them to prove your identity and in the case of a license, confirm at a traffic stop that you meet the state’s requirements to drive a car.

Why has the REAL ID enforcement deadline been extended so many times — and could it happen again before May 7?

When Congress originally passed the Real ID Act, the enforcement date was set three years into the future: 2008. However, due to complicated legal battles between the federal government and the states over this law — along with the COVID-19 pandemic — the Department of Homeland Security kept pushing back the deadline, resulting in a 17-year delay.

All 50 states are now offering REAL IDs to their residents. And as of Feb. 13, President Donald Trump’s new administration has not announced any plans to push back the REAL ID enforcement deadline again.

What options do transgender or nonbinary people have when applying for a REAL ID?

On his first day back in the White House, President Trump signed an executive order that declares the federal government will only “recognize two sexes, male and female” — and with his administration then directing the State Department to suspend all U.S. passport applications requesting an “X” marker or change a current sex marker.

So what about REAL IDs? While they must include a person’s gender, the text of the Real ID Act does not specify or define gender categories.

In 2017, California passed the Gender Recognition Act to “ensure that intersex, transgender, and nonbinary people have state-issued identification documents that provide full legal recognition of their accurate gender identity.”

This law gives Californians three gender options when completing an application for a driver’s license or identification card: female, male and nonbinary — the last option represented by an “X” on documents. California is one of 22 other states (plus Washington, D.C.) that offer this option.

As for the Trump administration’s “two sexes” executive order, the California DMV’s Orrock said that it still does not affect gender designations on California-issued REAL IDs, driver’s licenses or identification cards.

“[The Gender Recognition Act] ensures that Californians have the ability to have their true gender identity legally recognized on all their official documents,” he said. “California’s legislation allows for the three gender options … that will stay in the future.”

The Department of Homeland Security, which oversees TSA checkpoints at airports, has yet to announce if it will change its policy around REAL IDs with an “x” in the gender category.

Can undocumented people request a REAL ID?

According to the Real ID Act, states must require individuals to prove that they are either U.S. citizens or are in the country “lawfully.”

If you are not a U.S. citizen, you can apply for a REAL ID if you:

• Are permanent resident
• Have been approved for asylum status or have a pending application
• Entered the U.S. with refugee status
• Have a foreign passport that includes a valid, unexpired U.S. visa
• Have been approved for temporary protected status (TPS) or have a pending application
• Have an approved deferred action status.

If you don’t have any type of legal status, like the ones above, then you will not be able to request a REAL ID.

However, undocumented Californians are eligible for AB 60 driver’s licenses — named after the 2013 law that allows the DMV to issue a driver’s license to any resident who is eligible for one, regardless of immigration status. But they can’t use it as REAL ID, confirmed the California DMV’s Orrock, and it won’t be accepted by TSA agents or security at federal buildings after May 7.