Will you need a REAL ID to fly? : Kathika Travel Website

Since the REAL ID Act was passed in 2005, there’s been all kinds of discussion across the United States about what data will be required and how privacy will be protected, whether or not such a system is constitutional and how people without REAL ID will be discriminated against.

What we really want to know is whether or not boarding a plane to travel somewhere is going to get a lot harder any time soon, and last Friday the Department of Homeland Security issued some final rules before the real implementation phase begins. The rules covered things like verifying the authenticity of documents used to obtain a REAL ID, checking citizenship status of applicants and adding further features to drivers licenses.

What does REAL ID mean for travelers?

For travelers, the important date is May, 2008, after which many of the current forms of ID used to board domestic flights will be invalid. If you don’t have a REAL ID, you will probably be put through a more stringent secondary security check and that means it’ll take you longer to get on the plane.

Some states still haven’t put REAL ID programs into place, and if your state is one of them, the Department of Homeland Security is saying that come May, you will probably need to bring your passport with you if you’re flying within the US and want to avoid extra security checks.

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