Federal REAL ID Enforcement Begins Oct. 1, 2021

With six months left until the federal enforcement of REAL ID begins for commercial domestic air travel and other federal purposes, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) is reminding Pennsylvania residents who want a REAL ID-compliant driver’s licenses and photo ID cards to get their REAL ID before the federal enforcement date. PennDOT has issued approximately 1.1 million REAL ID products.

REAL ID is a federal law that affects how states issue driver’s licenses and ID cards if they are going to be acceptable for federal purposes, such as boarding a domestic flight or entering a federal building that requires federally acceptable ID upon entry. A federally acceptable form of identification (whether it’s a Pennsylvania REAL ID driver’s license or ID card, a valid U.S. passport/passport card, a military ID) must be used for these purposes on and after Oct. 1, 2021.