2016 Driver License Updates

Since the beginning of the year, 7 states have issued updated versions of state identification cards - i.e.: driver licenses and identification (ID) cards - to meet the requirements of the Real ID Act.

The Real ID Act was enacted by Congress on May 11, 2005. The Real ID Act addresses the new security, authentication, and issuance proceduer standards state driver licenses and identification cards must meet in order to be accepted by federal agencies. As a side note, the act also requires these new standards to be met by US territories and addresses certain aspects of immigration issues. In short, the Real ID act mainly establishes the new minimum security standards state-issued driver licenses and identification cards need to have.

To be clear, the Real ID Act does not require states to meet these requirements - but not doing so means that the state's residents can neither use services nor prove their identities at the federal level. In other words, residents of states who are noncompliant with the act cannot use their state driver licenses/identification cards to, for example, travel domestically (the TSA is a federal agency), apply for a passport, or enter the military. Although meeting the requirements of the Real ID Act is technically voluntary, it is in each state's best interest to be compliant with the Real ID Act.

Residents in states that have issued Real ID Act compliant driver licenses and identification cards have until the expiration date on their current driver licenses/identification cards to update/renew.

Beginning January 22, 2018, federal agencies will no longer accept driver licenses and identification cards from states that are noncompliant. However, residents from states that are noncompliant by that date but have received extensions to the deadline will be allowed to continue to use their non-expired not-yet compliant state driver licenses and/or identification cards to travel domestically. Residents from states that are noncomplaint and do not have an extension will need to present acceptable, alternative forms of identification in order to pass TSA checkpoints. Acceptable, alternative forms of identification include a US Passport, a US military ID, a permanent resident card, and a foreign government-issued passport. Neither a weapons permit nor a temporary driver license/identification card are acceptable alternates.

By October 1, 2020, all state driver licenses and identification cards need to meet the Real ID Act standards to be accepted at the federal level - otherwise, an acceptable, alterative form of identification needs to be presented. This deadline also covers states that are compliant but have residents who have yet to update/renew their driver licenses and/or identification cards to Real ID Act compliant documents.

Below, you'll find a table listing the 7 states that have issued Real ID Act-compliant driver licenses and identification cards as well as the security features that are present on these new cards.

Underneath that table, you'll find another table listing the noncompliant and compliant states and territories as of June 16, 2016, for your refernce. Between now and January 1, 2020, you can expect that the 31 US states and territories who are not yet complaint will update their driver licenses and identification cards.

For your convenience, you can see and download a PDF containing the table of 7 updated states as well as the states that are thus far compliant (and noncompliant) by clicking here.