WASHINGTON — This story was originally posted on MyNorthwest.com
Are you flying after May? Your Washington driver’s license isn’t going to get you through TSA after May 7. That’s the day the Real ID Act goes into effect.
Like the boy who cried wolf, the TSA has been telling us the Real ID Act would be taking effect for years. It has been delayed and postponed for a decade as states and consumers have been slow to adopt it. Let’s not forget, this act was passed in 2005 as a way to make flying safer.
But this May 7 deadline appears to be real, and Christine Anthony with the Washington Department of Licensing (DOL) said you should treat it that way.
“Obviously, the deadline has changed a few times due to the pandemic and other various reasons, we’ve been trying to say this is going to happen at some point,” she said. “Make sure you’re ready.”
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After May 7, your Washington driver’s license or ID will not be valid for getting on domestic flights, so you will need to get an enhanced form of ID unless you have a passport or another form of ID the federal government considers valid.
“We just don’t want anyone to get to the airport and have them have their standard Washington driver’s license, hand it to the TSA officer and have the TSA officer hand it back and say, ‘yeah, that’s not going to work,’” Anthony said.
I went into the DOL last week to get my enhanced driver’s license, and the office was packed. Many people were there to do the same thing, but they didn’t have the right information to prove their identity and were turned away.
Even if they had an appointment, they were being turned away if they didn’t have the right information. I will tell you. Don’t wait.
“Make that appointment today,” Anthony said. “Don’t wait until April because you’re just pushing it too close to that deadline.”
I will tell you from experience, take more than you might need for that appointment. I brought my car registration, but I had cut off the bottom portion that had my address on it. If I hadn’t decided to bring my W2, I would have been turned away as well.
There is a chance that this deadline will be extended. There is also a chance that the TSA might not actually turn people away or enforce it strictly right away.
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But why chance it?
“Every deadline we take seriously,” Anthony said. “We have no reason to believe that this deadline won’t happen.”
There are more than 6.8 million people with Washington driver’s licenses or ID cards. Only 26% of those are enhanced or valid for getting through TSA starting in May. Imagine if just a fraction of those remaining head to the DOL between now and the deadline. It could get ugly.
And don’t forget, your regular Washington driver’s license also won’t be accepted at secured federal buildings, like military bases, after May 7 either.