The Real ID Act of 2025 is a Congress-led act that states all IDs must satisfy certain criteria to enter government facilities and nuclear power plants, and to board domestic flights. The first two points don’t seem to affect the everyday citizen, but the third point will majorly affect anybody who regularly travels domestically or plans to do so in the future.
Originally, this act was passed in 2005, but Congress worried that not many citizens would be Real ID-ready by the time the law went into effect, hence its re-debut after 20 years. Now, to board domestic flights with a state ID, the document must meet Real ID requirements, which include providing proof of citizenship. With this addition, those with passports or passport cards, permanent resident IDs and other forms of identification that prove citizenship or legal residence will still be able to board domestic flights without Real IDs.
For the average consumer, this means gathering documents that prove citizenship/show a Social Security number. What remains to be seen is whether or not those who try to fly with IDs that aren’t Real IDs will be turned away when they try to board their flights. For right now, there are a few things someone can do if they plan on flying anywhere after May 7th. That includes checking your ID to see if it’s a Real ID, obtaining a Real ID if you don’t have one, or getting a passport or passport card.