AUSTIN (KXAN) — Beginning May 7, 2025, REAL ID-compliant driver licenses will be one of several valid forms of identification people will need to have to travel by air in the United States.
Following the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attack, the federal government mandated a set of security standards to apply to driver's licenses and identification cards. That came via the REAL ID Act, which Congress passed in 2005. Years of delays — particularly due to the coronavirus pandemic — have punted the official start date of REAL ID requirements, which had been poised to begin in 2020.
The specialty identification cards will be needed in order to fly domestically, visit some federal facilities or enter a nuclear power plant, per the Department of Homeland Security. Other approved forms of identification to fly in the U.S. include a valid passport or a U.S. military ID, per the State of Texas.
Here's how to tell if your existing Texas driver's license is compliant.
REAL ID-friendly Texas license or ID cards are marked with a gold star in the upper right corner. The State of Texas has been issuing REAL ID-compliant licenses and ID cards since Oct. 10, 2016, per the Texas Department of Public Safety.
Those without a gold star don't have a compliant card, and will receive a gold star-adorned one when they get their next renewal or request a replacement card, per Texas documents.
If you're looking to apply for a REAL ID-approved license or ID in Texas, you can visit a Texas DPS office. Some are also eligible to renew an existing Texas driver license or ID online and forego the in-person trip.
Those interested in receiving a REAL ID must have the following proofs of identification handy:
Yes. Those with a current, unexpired Texas driver license without the REAL ID additive can still use it to drive or for any other non-federal identification purposes, according to the State of Texas. However, once you're ready to renew your driver license or ID card, Texas DPS will automatically distribute it as a REAL ID-compliant one.
