REAL ID-compliant licenses are marked by a star on the top of the card. How can I tell if my license/ID is REAL ID compliant? Here are the details buried in the FAQs on the TSA REAL ID page. However, the government did a terrible job telling American citizens about whether or not their ID really is REAL ID-compliant.

Really, I wasn’t confused I was certain that my ID was REAL ID-compliant. Just having an ID from Virginia did not make it a REAL ID. Since we began this REAL ID journey way back in 2005, I have been sitting fat, dumb, and happy until I learned that I needed a star on my license. Note the star in the upper right-hand corner. Q: Are all states issuing REAL ID compliant cards?Īs of September 5, 2019, 50 states and territories are fully compliant with the REAL ID requirements, and all states are on track to begin issuing compliant licenses and IDs by the Octodeadline.Ī REAL ID looks like this. I found several questions that I didn’t even think I needed to ask, like “Are all states issuing REAL ID-compliant cards?” and, “How do I know if my license or identification card is REAL ID compliant?” The answers here tell me that my Virginia driver’s license is not REAL ID compliant. I then clicked on the Frequently Asked Question (FAQ) page. Do not believe what DHS and TSA say on their maps.

A citizen trying to determine whether his or her ID is considered a REAL ID needs to keep digging. Virginia, like any other state colored green, has issued REAL ID driver’s licenses, but until US citizens have a small star on their license, they do not have a REAL ID. NOTE: These “green” states driver’s licenses are not automatically REAL ID compliant

If anyone using the DHS REAL-ID page goes to the individual state ID drop-down menu, they would reach a page like this one for the State of Virginia. For me, this sowed plenty of confusion and I know that it has sown confusion for others as well. The problem is that the map is not accurate, nor are the following state pages. Then a big map shows REAL ID-compliant states. A large block of type in the upper right-hand corner of the page shows that the REAL ID DEADLINE is October 1, 2020. When travelers go to the Homeland Security (DHS) REAL ID page, the confusion begins. This map says that the green states are REAL ID compliant.

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