REAL ID Enforcement After May 7, 2025: What Travelers Must Know

(UNITED STATES) Airport checkpoint rules for domestic flights in the United States 🇺🇸 have shifted from “strongly encouraged” to strict enforcement since May 7, 2025, when the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) began requiring travelers to show an unexpired REAL ID-compliant driver’s license or state ID—or an unexpired alternative document TSA accepts—before entering security. The change has hit at the point where travel is busiest, and it has left many flyers surprised that an ID that would still work for driving can fail at the checkpoint.

Immediate surprise: expiration matters as much as the REAL ID star

The biggest shock for many travelers is that the rule is not only about the REAL ID star on the card. It is also about the expiration date.

Since May 7, 2025, TSA has not accepted any expired state-issued driver’s license or ID at the checkpoint for domestic flights, “regardless of how recently it expired,” according to the provided guidance. Before that date, travelers could sometimes use an ID that had expired less than one year earlier, but that grace period ended.

In practical terms, a traveler who renews a license a week late may be treated the same as someone who has not renewed in years: without another valid document, they can be turned away from screening and miss a flight.

“Extensions via I-797 notice don’t substitute for flights.”
— guidance quoted in the source material

What documents are accepted — and the expiration caveat

TSA’s list of acceptable identification is broad, but the core message remains simple: the document needs to be on TSA’s list and it generally must be unexpired.

Key acceptable documents include:

• U.S. passports and passport cards
• Foreign government-issued passports
• DHS trusted traveler cards: Global Entry, NEXUS, SENTRI, FAST
• Certain Department of Defense IDs, including those for dependents
• Veteran Health ID Card
• Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC) — for transportation workers
• Immigration-related documents (see below)

For the official list and details, TSA points travelers to its identification rules page: https://www.tsa.gov/travel/security-screening/identification

Immigration documents: expiration is crucial

Immigration documents appear on the acceptable list, but the expiration rule is critical here as well.

• A Permanent Resident Card (Green Card) is accepted only if the card itself is valid.
• An I-766 (USCIS Employment Authorization Document) is accepted, but must be unexpired.
• An I-797 notice extending status may be important for work authorization or proving continued lawful status, but it does not substitute for a valid ID at the airport.

This creates new time pressure for lawful permanent residents and other immigrants: deadlines measured in months for immigration processes can suddenly translate into immediate travel barriers if a wallet document lapses.

Renewal advice and costs for Green Cards

The source notes that “over 10 million Green Cards expire annually,” and it encourages early renewal through USCIS.

• File Form I-90, Application to Replace Permanent Resident Card
• Current filing fee: $540 (as of 2025)

Official filing page: https://www.uscis.gov/i-90

Note: Even a timely filed I-90 does not always solve a same-week airport problem if your physical card is expired.

DMV and REAL ID demand — delays and typical fees

REAL ID demand spiked after the deadline, putting pressure on state motor vehicle offices.

• 45 states reported fully compliant status, per the source.
• Processing and wait times increased; one report noted Texas saw 20% longer wait times into fall 2025.
• Typical state DMV fees for REAL ID: $20–$50 (varies by state).
• Processing times can be weeks to months depending on location and demand.

This mismatch — long DMV waits versus firm airport rules — has contributed to many missed trips since the enforcement date.

Checkpoint denials, children, and who needs ID

TSA enforcement has shown up in denial statistics and traveler confusion.

• In 2025 Q3, TSA reported “5,000+ denials weekly” before a new program began; denials decreased after rollout of new measures.
• Children under 18 traveling with adults are exempt from the ID requirement for domestic flights, but the adult escort must have a compliant, unexpired document.

TSA Confirm.ID — a paid short-term fallback

To help travelers who reach the airport without acceptable ID, a program called TSA Confirm.ID was introduced.

• Announced by Airlines for America (A4A) on December 10, 2025.
• Launched on February 1, 2026.
• Targeted at the remaining 10–15% of U.S. adults who lacked REAL ID-compliant documents.
• Not a permanent substitute for REAL ID; a short-term identity verification method.

Key details:

• Fee: $45 non-refundable, covering a 10-day travel period (including round trips).
• Extra time: Expect up to 30 minutes additional processing time at airports for the identity checks.
• Designed as a practical fallback when renewal delays, lost wallets, or unexpected travel occur.

Who is most affected

The rules can be particularly difficult for people whose documents relate directly to immigration status:

• Visitors with no U.S. driver’s license should rely on valid passports for domestic flights.
• Permanent residents waiting for replacement Green Cards after moves, name changes, theft, or similar issues face travel risk.
• Workers with expiring I-766 cards must watch expiration dates closely.

Practical advice from the source:

• Foreign visitors: carry a valid passport.
• Lawful permanent residents and visa holders: carry both a passport and a valid Green Card when possible to reduce risk.
• States improved coordination after 2025, with “90% of states accepting I-94s for residency proof,” helping some non-citizens meet DMV document rules.

Final practical steps and warnings

TSA encourages travelers to verify document acceptability before arriving at the airport — especially now that expired IDs are no longer being accepted.

• Confirm acceptable documents on TSA’s official page: https://www.tsa.gov/travel/security-screening/identification
• If you lack a compliant ID, consider whether TSA Confirm.ID fits your timeline and budget (see fees and added processing time above).
• Don’t rely on the pre-2025 practice of leniency for recently expired IDs — the most common failure post-deadline is an expired card paired with the assumption that it will be excused.

According to analysis by VisaVerge.com, the post-deadline period showed that the most common failure is not lack of a REAL ID star, but a missed expiration date. TSA Confirm.ID is now a paid last resort rather than a preferred plan.