New York residents will need a REAL ID to board an airplane starting May 2025

Do you have a star or a flag on your New York driver’s license? If not, there’s still time to get your REAL ID-compliant driver’s license with that star on it. But it’s better to get it sooner, rather than later. 

New York residents who want to board an airplane for a domestic flight will soon need a REAL ID-compliant driver’s license. If their driver’s license is not REAL ID-compliant, they will need another form of approved identification, such as a passport to board their flight or enter a secure federal facility or military base. The REAL ID driver’s license and enhanced license have a small star or flag on them to indicate they meet federal regulations that establish minimum security standards. 

REAL ID goes into effect in about one year, starting May 7, 2025, and the countdown is on.

“REAL ID is a coordinated effort by the federal government to improve the reliability and accuracy of driver licenses and identification cards,” says Bart R. Johnson TSA’s Federal Security Director for airports in Upstate New York. “The improvements are intended to inhibit terrorists’ ability to evade detection by using fraudulent identification.” 

New York residents have the option to upgrade to a REAL ID or an enhanced ID or they can stick with an older standard driver’s license. However, a standard credential—without the star or flag—will not be valid to board a domestic flight or to access secure federal facilities, including military bases and some federal offices.  

To get the REAL ID compliant license, individuals will need to visit their local New York Department of Motor Vehicles office in person and bring certain documents to prove U.S. citizenship and New York residency. Required documents include one proof of identity (passport or U.S. birth certificate), proof of legal presence for non-U.S. citizens, two proofs of New York residency, your social security card (if you’ve been issued one) and a current driver’s license if you are applying to exchange one issued by another U.S. state. 

Transportation Security Administration officers who staff the ticket document checking station at airports will not allow travelers into the checkpoint without a REAL ID-compliant license or another form of acceptable ID after May 7, 2025, because of a federal law (The REAL ID Act of 2005) that mandates that a REAL ID is needed for federal identification purposes. TSA may phase in implementation starting on May 7, 2025, and if so, TSA will post those details on its web site. 

Travelers will notice signs at airports nationwide to remind people that REAL ID-compliant licenses or other acceptable forms of ID, such as a valid passport, federal government PIV card or U.S. military ID, will be mandatory for air travel beginning on May 7, 2025. 

For more information and details about how to obtain a REAL ID-compliant driver’s license or identification card in New York visit https://dmv.ny.gov/driver-license/enhanced-or-real-id.