Ready or not, REAL ID enforcement begins next week at airports

It’s not a drill — the federal government will begin enforcing REAL ID at airports on May 7, U.S. Transportation Security Administration officials reminded travelers Wednesday.

But there is some wiggle room, authorities noted during a briefing at O’Hare International Airport.

Adults will be required to show REAL ID driver’s licenses or cards to board a domestic flight, although certain alternates like passports also are acceptable. The rule also applies to some federal buildings.

Passengers without a REAL ID “can expect delays, additional screening, and the possibility of not being permitted into the sterile area beyond security clearance,” TSA Illinois Federal Security Director Jim Spriggs said.

“Your experience as a traveler may differ depending on the airport or terminal you visit.”

Beside passports, other examples of acceptable IDs include: DHS Trusted Traveler cards like Global Entry or NEXUS; permanent resident cards; or U.S. Department of Defense ID.

What if you don’t have REAL ID on May 7?

“If you don’t have a compliant ID, you need to bring proof of your identity,” Spriggs said, adding those passengers may be delayed and require further screening at a separate checkpoint.

“We expect that those passengers who are compliant will see very little impact when they arrive at the airport on May 7,” he said. “It’s only those noncompliant travelers who may be directed to an alternative location for additional screening.”

The public has about two years to get used to the new policy. Full enforcement of REAL ID requirements occurs “no later than May of 2027,” Spriggs said.

Chicago Department of Aviation Managing Deputy Commissioner Danny Vega said the city has worked to get the message out about the change.

“We will also make extra customer service personnel available to assist travelers in the terminals when the new requirements go into effect.”

Officials urged flyers to arrive at their terminal two hours early for domestic flights on May 7.

Passenger Joe Aguilar of Elmhurst isn’t worried about the deadline.

“I do have a REAL ID, I got it three years ago,” Aguilar said at Terminal 2.

But Dave White, who had traveled from the Boston area to O’Hare, said “my morning was basically ruined by that process.”

White doesn’t have a REAL ID and didn’t bring his passport to the airport Wednesday morning.

However, he is registered as a “known traveler” with the TSA. Known travelers are issued a special number used to receive TSA PreCheck expedited screening.

Officials said his situation would be used for training purposes and White was sent to a separate line for security screening.

“The law’s not in effect yet, right? But I was still subject to the rules, almost. Some kind of weird hybrid between those two,” White said.

To find out information about obtaining REAL ID from the Illinois secretary of state’s office, visit realid.ilsos.gov.

To check what other types of ID are recognized when traveling on May 7 and beyond, visit tsa.gov/travel/security-screening/identification.

Congress passed the REAL ID Act in 2005 following the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.