Residents of nine states will need their passport to travel at the beginning of 2018 for any commercial flight, whether domestic or international.
Nine states will no longer allow travelers to board places with just their state issued driver's license as of January 22, 2018.
To get past TSA security checkpoints,another form of identification will be required: passport, permanent resident card/green card or a military ID.
The Real ID Act of 2005 states that state-issued IDs from these nine states do not meet the minimum security standards of the federal government:
- Kentucky
- Maine
- Minnesota
- Missouri
- Montana
- Oklahoma
- Pennsylvania
- South Carolina
- Washington
If you live in any of these states, it's time to start planning now and look into getting your passport. Here is the airport signage, placed around the security checkpoints in airports to remind U.S. travelers of what;s to come:
"Starting January 22, 2018, you will need a driver's license or ID from a state compliant with the REAL ID ACT, a state that has an extension for compliance, or analternate ID to fly. For REAL ID information, and a list of acceptable IDs, visit tsa.gov. "
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