What Is the REAL ID Act?

The REAL ID Act is federal legislation passed in 2005 that establishes minimum security standards for state-issued driver's licenses and identification cards. The Act implements a key recommendation of the 9/11 Commission by creating consistent requirements for identity verification across all states, ensuring that IDs used for federal purposes meet baseline security and authenticity standards.

Background and purpose

Following the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, investigators found that several of the hijackers had obtained legitimate state-issued driver's licenses despite being in the country illegally. The 9/11 Commission identified weaknesses in state ID issuance processes as a security vulnerability and recommended the establishment of federal standards to address inconsistencies across jurisdictions.

Congress responded with the REAL ID Act, which mandates that states verify the identity and legal status of applicants before issuing driver's licenses or identification cards that will be accepted for federal purposes. The goal is ensuring that when someone presents a state-issued ID to a federal agency, there's consistent assurance that the document is legitimate and the person is who they claim to be.

What does REAL ID require?

The Act establishes requirements in several areas. For identity verification, states must verify the applicant's full legal name, date of birth, Social Security number, principal residence address, and lawful status in the United States before issuing a compliant ID. States must verify source documents, such as birth certificates, passports, and immigration documents, using approved methods, which may include document inspection, database checks, or electronic verification, depending on document type and jurisdiction.

For document security, REAL ID-compliant cards must include specific security features and be equipped with machine-readable technology. They must display a gold star or other marking indicating compliance, distinguishing them from non-compliant cards.

For data management, states must support interstate checks to reduce duplicate issuance and fraud (often implemented via state-to-state verification services). Specific implementations vary by jurisdiction and are not limited to a single named service.

Official purposes

Federal agencies are prohibited from accepting non-compliant IDs for "official purposes," which include boarding federally regulated commercial aircraft, accessing certain federal facilities (such as military bases and federal courthouses), and entering nuclear power plants.

This doesn't mean non-compliant IDs become invalid for all purposes, they remain valid for driving, voting (in most states), and other non-federal uses. But for the specified federal functions, only REAL ID-compliant credentials will be accepted after the enforcement deadline.

Implementation timeline

The nationwide rollout has faced multiple delays as states worked to upgrade their issuance processes and systems. The Department of Homeland Security has extended the full enforcement deadline several times, most recently to May 7, 2025. After this deadline, the Transportation Security Administration and other federal agencies will begin enforcing the requirement, meaning travelers will need REAL ID-compliant identification (or an acceptable alternative, such as a passport) to pass through airport security checkpoints.

REAL ID and digital identity

As mobile driver’s licenses (mDLs) are adopted, the relationship between REAL ID and verifiable digital credentials (VDCs) has become increasingly important. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has publicly confirmed that it accepts (and will continue to accept) mobile driver’s licenses for identity verification at TSA checkpoints where available, provided those mDLs are issued by participating states and meet REAL ID requirements.

For an mDL to be accepted by TSA, it must represent a REAL ID–compliant credential and provide the same verified identity attributes and security assurances required of physical REAL ID cards. In addition, mDL implementations must conform to applicable technical standards, such as ISO/IEC 18013-5, which define how identity data is securely presented and verified in digital form.

States implementing mobile driver’s licenses must therefore ensure that their digital credentials are directly tied to REAL ID–compliant source records and enforce equivalent identity proofing, data integrity, and security controls. This alignment allows federal agencies such as TSA to rely on digital credentials with the same confidence as physical cards and ensures that the transition to digital identity maintains and does not weaken the trust framework established by REAL ID.

The broader context

REAL ID represents a significant federal effort to standardize identity verification across states, similar to how digital identity standards are now working to ensure interoperability and consistent security across jurisdictions. The Act demonstrates both the value of consistent standards and the challenges of implementing them across 50 different state systems, lessons that inform current efforts to build interoperable digital identity infrastructure.