The Department of Homeland Security is extending the deadline for REAL ID enforcement from Oct. 1, 2021, to May 3, 2023, the agency announced Tuesday. That gives Arizonans more time to get the new ID, known as the Arizona Travel ID, that will be needed to pass through federal TSA airport checkpoints for domestic flights and other restricted, federally secure facilities.
Arizonans can get the new ID before the deadline at a Motor Vehicle Services office.
Arizona is one of 37 states offering residents a choice in their driver's license credential: the federally-compliant Travel ID or the non-Travel ID Arizona driver's license, which is not federally-compliant and will not allow an individual to pass through TSA after May 3, 2023.
About 1.2 million Arizonans already have the Travel ID, according the Arizona Department of Transportation.
As more people get vaccinated, Doug Pacey with the Arizona Motor Vehicle Division says many Arizonans looking to travel by airplane will soon need to have updated driver’s licenses.
The ID would be good for eight years for most people, and five years for people over 65.
The travel ID can only be acquired in person at an MVD office or an authorized third-party location. Appointments can be made online and more information can be found at azmvdnow.gov/home.
TSA checkpoints will also accept U.S. passports or other federally approved forms of identification.
