ABSTRACT
This chapter describes the history and current status of the 2005 REAL ID Act. After the September 11, 2001, terrorist attack on the World Trade Centers, a Congressional Committee published their 9/11 Commission Final Report in 2004 that recommended that the US government institute “Trusted & Secure” citizen identification documents employing the State-issued driver’s licenses. The resulting 2005 REAL ID Act requested each of the 50 States to voluntarily comply with the regulations issued by the US Department of Homeland Security. By October 2020, all 50 States and the US-administered territories were issuing REAL ID–compliant driver’s licenses and identification cards. Selected enforcement required REAL ID–compliant driver’s licenses as proof of identification began on January 30, 2015 for public entry to military bases, nuclear power plants, and secure federal facilities. Commercial air passenger enforcement begins on May 11, 2025, whereby US residents will be required to use REAL ID–compliant documents to board US-operated airplanes.
