REAL ID Act: Required Documents, Card Validity, and TSA Backup

REAL ID requirements set the federal standard your state-issued driver’s license or ID card must meet before the TSA or certain federal agencies will accept it. As of May 7, 2025, anyone 18 or older needs a REAL ID-compliant card, or another approved form of identification, to board a domestic commercial flight, enter a federal facility that checks ID at the door, or access a nuclear power plant.¹ To get one, you apply in person at your state’s driver’s licensing agency and bring documents that prove four things: your identity and lawful status, your Social Security number, your address, and any name changes.²

When a REAL ID Is Actually Required

The law only reaches three situations:

Passing through a TSA checkpoint at any U.S. airport for a federally regulated commercial flight.
Entering federal buildings that require identification at the door, such as federal courthouses or agency offices with controlled access.
Accessing a regulated nuclear power plant.

Nothing else. You do not need a REAL ID to drive, vote, apply for federal benefits, or enter a post office.¹ Children under 18 don’t need any ID to fly domestically, so the requirement applies only to adults.³ If you already have a valid U.S. passport and are comfortable carrying it to the airport, you may not need a REAL ID at all.

Documents You Need to Bring

The DMV handles the application, but the document categories come from federal regulation, so they are the same in every state.² Gather originals or certified copies. Photocopies won’t be accepted for the core identity document.

Proof of Identity and Lawful Status

You need one document from the federally approved list that proves both who you are and that you’re lawfully in the United States:⁴

A valid, unexpired U.S. passport.
A certified copy of a birth certificate filed with a state vital statistics office. Hospital souvenir versions and photocopies don’t count.
A Consular Report of Birth Abroad for U.S. citizens born outside the country (Form FS-240, DS-1350, or FS-545).
An unexpired Permanent Resident Card (Form I-551).
An unexpired Employment Authorization Document (Form I-766).
A foreign passport with a valid U.S. visa, accompanied by an approved I-94 arrival/departure record.
A Certificate of Naturalization or Citizenship (Form N-550, N-570, N-560, or N-561).

Bring anything outside this list and the application will be turned away. If you’re a noncitizen, the DMV runs your immigration documents through the federal SAVE database to confirm your status is active and recognized by the Department of Homeland Security.⁵ That electronic check happens before the card can be issued and can add processing time.

Proof of Your Social Security Number

You need a physical document showing your full SSN and your name. The preferred option is your original Social Security card. If you can’t produce it, any of these work:⁴

A W-2 form
An SSA-1099 form
A non-SSA-1099 form
A pay stub

The DMV verifies the number with the Social Security Administration, so any mismatch with SSA records will hold up the application. There’s one narrow exception: if you’re presenting a foreign passport with a U.S. visa as your identity document and you’re not authorized to work in the United States, you must either provide an SSN or demonstrate your non-work-authorized status.

Two Proofs of Address

Bring at least two separate documents showing your name and current physical address. Utility bills, bank statements, mortgage or rental agreements, and insurance documents are the usual choices. States set their own rules about how recent these documents must be, so check your DMV’s guidance before you go. If your area doesn’t have a standard street address, a U.S. Postal Service address convention for that area is acceptable.⁶

Proof of Any Name Changes

If the name you go by now doesn’t match the name on your identity document, you need paperwork bridging the gap. A marriage certificate connects a birth name to a married name. A divorce decree works when it specifically grants the use of a prior name. A court order covers legal name changes outside of marriage or divorce. If your name has changed more than once, bring the full chain of documents linking your birth name to your current legal name, each as an original or certified copy.

What a Compliant Card Looks Like

If you already hold a state license, you can often tell whether it’s REAL ID-compliant by looking at it. Federal rules require a DHS-approved security marking on the upper portion of the card. DHS recommends a gold star, and most states use that design, though a state can submit an alternative marking for approval.⁵ That marking is what a TSA officer looks for when quickly deciding whether a card qualifies.

The front of the card also carries your full legal name, date of birth, sex, a unique card number (not your SSN), a digital facial photograph, your signature, issue and expiration dates, and the issuing state.⁷ Your home address appears on the card, though states must allow an alternative address for people enrolled in address confidentiality programs, including victims of domestic violence, stalking, or trafficking.⁶

How Long the Card Lasts

A standard REAL ID is valid for up to eight years, though a state may set a shorter term under its own laws.⁷ Renewal generally involves a similar document check, though some states streamline the process when your information hasn’t changed.

Noncitizens with temporary lawful status receive a limited-term REAL ID instead. That card cannot be valid past the expiration date of the person’s authorized stay, and if there’s no set expiration date for the immigration status, the maximum is one year. Renewing a limited-term card requires fresh proof of active lawful status, verified again through SAVE.⁸ Limited-term cards are marked on the face and in the barcode as such.

If You Don’t Have a REAL ID

A REAL ID isn’t the only way through airport security. TSA accepts several other forms of identification for domestic flights:³

U.S. passport or passport card
DHS trusted traveler cards (Global Entry, NEXUS, SENTRI, FAST)
U.S. military ID, including dependent IDs
Permanent Resident Card
State-issued Enhanced Driver’s License
Federally recognized tribal photo ID
Foreign passport
Transportation Worker Identification Credential
Veteran Health Identification Card

TSA also accepts certain digital IDs, including approved mobile driver’s licenses, Apple Digital ID, Clear ID, and Google ID pass. Not every federal agency accepts a mobile driver’s license, so carry the physical card too if you rely on one.⁹ Expired versions of these IDs are accepted at TSA checkpoints for up to two years past expiration.

The TSA ConfirmID Backup

If you arrive at the airport with no acceptable ID, you’re not automatically shut out. Starting February 1, 2026, TSA offers ConfirmID: pay a $45 fee online at TSA.gov/ConfirmID, receive an emailed receipt, and bring that receipt along with any government-issued ID to the checkpoint. TSA then tries to verify your identity through its own systems. The fee covers a 10-day travel window from the start date you pick, and each adult without acceptable ID must complete the process and pay separately.¹⁰

Two things to understand before you rely on it. TSA makes no guarantee it can verify you, and if verification fails you will not clear security. Treat it as an emergency measure, not a standing substitute for a compliant ID. Early data after the May 2025 enforcement date showed 95 to 99 percent of travelers were already showing up with a REAL ID or another acceptable identification.¹¹

1
Transportation Security Administration. About REAL ID
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USAGov. Get a REAL ID
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Transportation Security Administration. Identification
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eCFR. 6 CFR 37.11 – Application and Documents the Applicant Must Provide
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Transportation Security Administration. REAL ID Frequently Asked Questions
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eCFR. 6 CFR 37.17 – Requirements for the Surface of the Driver’s License or Identification Card
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eCFR. 6 CFR Part 37 – Real ID Driver’s Licenses and Identification Cards
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eCFR. 6 CFR 37.21 – Temporary or Limited-Term Driver’s Licenses and Identification Cards
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Transportation Security Administration. REAL ID Mobile Driver’s Licenses (mDLs)
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Transportation Security Administration. TSA ConfirmID
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Transportation Security Administration. TSA Successfully Rolls Out TSA ConfirmID