Real ID - Be Travel Ready

As of May 7, 2025, you will need an updated REAL ID driver's license/ID Card issued by your home state's Registry of Motor Vehicles if you plan on travelling* by air on or after that date.

But first, you may already have a REAL ID. Just check your current driver's license/ID Card. If it has a white star in the upper right-hand corner, you are all set! In Massachusetts, the star is set in an orange circle; in California, it is set in an image of a bear; in Indiana, it is a white star inside a black circle. Each state is different. The constant is the white star!

If you don't have a REAL ID license/ID Card and you plan to travel by air anytime on or after May 7, 2025, you may be denied boarding without this proper security document.

If this is the case, visit your state registry of motor vehicles website and find out what you need to bring to their office to complete your application. It can then take up to two weeks to receive your new ID in the mail.

If you have no domestic USA air flight plans in the next several weeks, don't stress yourself!  Your state registry will continue to renew ID holders into the REAL ID program according to your license expiration date.

*Please note that travelers may present a valid/current passport as an alternative form of identification.