If you have family members whose only ID is issued by one of an expanded list of non-compliant states or territories, they will not be able to use that ID for unescorted access to Department of Defense or other federal facilities after June 6, following an extension of the deadline by the Department of Homeland Security.
However, all DoD IDs — including the Common Access Card, DoD dependent ID and DoD retiree ID — are already compliant with the Real ID Act.
After the recent expiration of a Jan. 30 deadline, DHS granted a limited extension until June 6 to Alaska, Kentucky, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina and Virginia. This means that barring any further extension, licenses from those states will not be accepted after June 6 for access to DoD or other federal facilities, unless those states have made changes to the licenses they issue.
Maine and Montana have now joined Minnesota, Missouri and Washington on the list of noncompliant states whose non-enhanced driver’s licenses and ID cards are not accepted for access to federal facilities. However, federal agencies will accept enhanced driver’s licenses from these states.
Because the list of states complying with the Real ID Act is fluid, please refer to the DHS website for up-to-date information.
- On Jan. 22, 2018, any non-enhanced driver’s license or ID card issued by a state or territory not compliant with Act and not under an extension, presented to board any domestic flight, will be rejected. The passenger will need to show another form of ID to board the flight. A passenger with a license issued by a compliant state (or a state under an extension) will still be able to use the license or ID card to board.
- On Oct. 1, 2020, every airline passenger will need a compliant license or other form of compliant ID for domestic air travel. (Foreign travel will still require a valid U.S. passport.)
Noncompliant ID can still be used to obtain a CAC or a DoD ID card but cannot be used for unescorted access to DoD or other federal facilities.
The Real ID Act (full text here) was prompted by a recommendation in the 9/11 Commission’s final report. It set security standards for state-issued driver’s licenses and ID cards and prohibits federal agencies from accepting ID that does not meet those standards.
DHS’ full, illustrated 20-page guide on implementation can be found here in PDF format.