The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has delayed by two
years the requirement for U.S. flight passengers to have state-issued
identification that complies with the REAL ID Act in order to clear security.
The law was to have gone into effect this year, but the DHS has
announced that passengers can use their existing driver’s licenses, whether the
issuing state's licenses are compliant with the REAL ID Act or not, until Jan.
22, 2018.
The delay provides "an ample opportunity to replace
their pre-REAL ID licenses with new compliant licenses or to obtain another
acceptable form of identification," according to the DHS.
Currently, the DHS lists two noncompliant ID
issuers—Minnesota and American Samoa—and 23 compliant states and territories. The
rest have been working under extensions to comply.