Travelers in New York and New Jersey who want to board an airplane will need a REAL ID-compliant credential or some other type of approved identification to fly or enter a secure federal facility, the Transportation Security Administration said in a May 4 news release.
It's easy enough to spot a REAL ID in both states, according to the release. There's a small start in the upper right of New Jersey's REAL ID-compliant driver’s licenses and identification cards and New York's REAL ID-compliant driver’s licenses and ID cards sport a black circle with a star inside in the upper right. New York REAL ID-compliant driver's licenses and ID cards also have a flag in the lower right corner.
"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 REAL ID," TSA New Jersey Federal Security Directory Thomas Carter said in the news release. "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," Robert Duffy, TSA's federal security director for LaGuardia Airport, said in the news release. "The improvements are intended to inhibit terrorists’ ability to evade detection by using fraudulent identification."
"REAL ID is available to all eligible applicants in New Jersey who will need one to fly domestically and enter certain federal facilities after next year’s enforcement date," New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission Chief Administrator Sue Fulton said. "The best way to get one is when you renew your license or ID."
