New York State REAL ID driver license
WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. — Travelers who want to board an airplane will soon need a star or flag on their New York state driver’s license, indicating that it is a REAL ID-compliant credential or they will need another form of approved identification to board their flight or enter a secure federal facility. New York’s REAL ID-compliant driver’s licenses and ID cards have a star inside a black circle, in the upper right corner. Additionally, New York state enhanced IDs have a flag in the corner and they also are valid for boarding a flight.
“Travelers are not required to get a state-issued REAL ID, however, starting May 2023, if you typically use your driver’s license or non-driver ID to fly within the United States then you probably want a New York enhanced license or a REAL ID,” said Robert Duffy, TSA’s Federal Security Director for Westchester County Airport. “Otherwise you will need to use a valid U.S. passport or another federally approved valid form of identification when you walk up to the TSA document checking podium. The consequence for not having a valid ID is that you won’t be permitted to board your flight.”
REAL ID is a “coordinated effort by the federal government to improve the reliability and accuracy of driver licenses and identification cards,” Duffy said. “The improvements are intended to inhibit terrorists’ ability to evade detection by using fraudulent identification.”
New Yorkers have three options from the state’s Department of Motor Vehicles. They can get an enhanced ID, a REAL ID or a standard ID. The enhanced ID and REAL ID are both compliant with the REAL ID laws, however the standard driver’s license is not. The New York Department of Motor Vehicles offers an online tool to help residents determine which ID is right for them. An enhanced ID can be used instead of a passport to return to the U.S. by land or sea from Canada, Mexico and some countries in the Caribbean, although it is not acceptable for air travel between these countries. However, an enhanced ID is REAL ID-compliant and is accepted to board a domestic flight.
“The good news is that you do not have to wait to get a REAL ID or Enhanced ID,” said Mark J.F. Schroeder, Commissioner of the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles. “You can get one now at your local DMV office. We urge all New Yorkers who want to travel within the US to act now, and we certainly are doing everything we can so people know about this change and act before May 3, 2023. We don’t want any customers caught by surprise when they go to travel after May 3.”
To get an enhanced license or a REAL ID-compliant license, individuals will need to visit a local Department of Motor Vehicles office in person and bring certain documents to prove U.S. citizenship and state residency. Required documents include one proof of identity, one proof of legal presence, two proofs of state residency, one proof of your Social Security number (if you’ve been issued one) and a current driver’s license if you are applying to exchange one issued by another U.S. state.
Transportation Security Administration officers who staff the ticket document checking station at airports will not allow travelers into the checkpoint without a REAL ID-compliant license or another form of acceptable ID after May 2023, because of the federal law (The REAL ID Act of 2005) that mandates that a REAL ID is needed. Individuals who are unable to verify their identity will not be permitted to enter the TSA checkpoint and will not be allowed to fly.