Though NY State driver's licenses are technically no longer valid identification for domestic flights thanks to the REAL ID Act of 2005 that requires flyers to have proof of citizenship before getting on any commercial flight, we've been granted a reprieve until 2018. Sweet justice!
The Department of Homeland Security launched the REAL ID Act back in 2005, mandating states require proof of citizenship or residency to obtain driver's licenses in order to board domestic flights. New York, Louisiana, Minnesota and New Hampshire, in addition to American Samoa, are all considered "non-compliant" with that security mandate, and initially the DHS hinted the country would stop accepting licenses from those states starting sometime in 2016.
But yesterday, the department announced that we have until January 22nd, 2018 to get our act in line: "Effective January 22, 2018, air travelers with a driver’s license or identification card issued by a state that does not meet the requirements of the REAL ID Act (unless that state has been granted an extension to comply with the Act) must present an alternative form of identification acceptable to the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) in order to board a commercial domestic flight," DHS Secretary Jeh C. Johnson said in a statement yesterday.
Still, if you're a U.S. citizen, it's probably a good idea to get a jump on applying for an Enhanced Driver's License (EDL), which complies with the REAL ID Act and is also valid identification if you're traveling in and out of Canada and Mexico by land or sea. The bad news is the EDL costs an extra $30—homeland security is all about the bottom line.
