TSA Drivers License: Agency Will Require Advanced ‘Real ID’ To Fly In 2016 [Report]

A new TSA drivers license could be mandatory for doing more than driving between states in 2016. Nevada and Idaho are among the states which could keep you grounded if you don’t have an advanced form of the card called the Real ID.

This means that when you get to the TSA checkpoint, if your license doesn’t have the proper markings, such as a gold circle with a star inside it, it will feature the words “Not for Federal Official Use” and you might not be able to board a flight. Idaho residents are among those in nine states who will face a problem with this, due to the cost for the state to bring the documents up to compliance.

The Real ID Act passed in 2005 by Congress was created as a way to keep terrorists off of planes, and so far it hasn’t been entirely enforced. Some states, such as Arizona, have a license system which allows residents to drive after a certain age using the same license until nearly retirement, and their department of motor vehicles may be flooded this year with residents racing to acquire the proper ID to pass the drivers license checkpoint.

California residents may also be upset by this law, which will be enacted as of January 2016. Soon after immigration laws allowed illegals to obtain licenses, now it appears they won’t be automatically getting the new TSA drivers license required by the Real ID Act in order to board a plane. This may be the result of two of the terrorists who hijacked the planes on September 11, 2001 allegedly having California licenses.

David Fierro of the Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles explained how the law will work, according to CBS News.

“It is a choice. It’s not mandatory. It’s a choice for secured identification. If you use a passport when you’re traveling you don’t have any problems. If you use your driver’s license as identification, you’ll need to either apply for the Real ID card or get a passport.”

Being a central airline hub, Nevada’s McCarran Airport is probably the biggest choke point in Western U.S. air traffic and an especially crucial point to national security.

Idaho residents face another problem on top of this, says ABC News. Senator Bert Brackett, Chairman of the Idaho Transportation Committee, stated that Idaho faces a need to change the system which could cost the state millions, and might not work soon enough.

“We are exploring all of the options… as many as we can. We can’t come in compliance, even if we tried, right away.

“We are hopeful that Idaho is making progress towards coming into progress and if we do that we hope we could get an extension granted.”

In order to receive an official TSA drivers license as mandated by the Real ID Act, you will need to bring your social security card, proof of residence (some states require three), and an authorized birth certificate to prove you were born in the United States. If you were not, you will need to present or purchase a passport.

The Real ID Act will supposedly cut down on the number of fake licenses being made, but it will still propose a problem for several states.

What do you think of the new law requiring a TSA drivers license to fly by 2016?

[Image via Wassom]