If You are From These Six States, You will Need Your Passport to Travel Domestically Starting in 2018

​Domestic travel usually meant leaving the passport at home, but starting on January 22, 2018, residents from the following six states will be required to use their passports as identification at airport security.

If you live in these states, you must travel with your passport during air travel: 

Illinois
Louisiana
Michigan
Missouri
New York
Rhode Island
 
The Real ID Act of 2005 requires states to implement new security measures when issuing state identification. The six states above do not meet the minimum security standards required by the federal government. The status of these states may change as the government continues to evaluate state security procedures. Therefore, it is possible that residents of these states can use their driver’s licenses again. As of the date of this publication, residents of the states above should travel with their passports starting January 22, 2018, whether flying domestically or internationally.

Seventeen other states have been granted extension until October 10, 2018, to increase their security measures. The residents of the following 17 states can use their state driver’s license until the grace period ends in October 2018:

Alaska
California
Idaho
Kentucky
Maine
Massachusetts
Minnesota
Montana
New Hampshire
New Jersey
North Dakota
Oklahoma
Oregon
Pennsylvania
South Carolina
Virginia
Washington

For the most up-to-date information on your state’s compliance with the Real ID and more information, please visit the Department of Homeland Security’s Real ID page. 

For more information on travel security, documents, and other topics, please visit our articles page here. 

Najmeh Mahmoudjafari, Esq.
Najmeh is the Founder and Lead Immigration Attorney at ImmigraTrust Law, an immigration law practice in Orange County, California, representing individual and corporate clients in all 50 U.S. States and internationally. Najmeh can be reached at [email protected].

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DISCLAIMER: This article is for general information purposes only. It is not intended and does not constitute legal advice. This article does not create an attorney/client relationship and does not provide an attorney/client privilege. For legal advice about your specific case, please contact an attorney.