REAL ID for Immigrants and Asylum Seekers: A Guide

What REAL ID is and what changed on 7 May 2025

Congress passed the REAL ID Act in 2005 to set security standards for state-issued driver's licenses and ID cards. Enforcement began on 7 May 2025. Since then, travelers must be REAL ID compliant to board domestic flights and to enter certain federal facilities, unless they show another acceptable ID.

A passport is an acceptable ID and may be used in place of a REAL ID. TSA does not require children under 18 to show ID on domestic flights; check your airline's own rules for young travelers.

How to tell if your card is REAL ID compliant

A REAL ID card has a star marking on the upper portion of the card. Enhanced driver's licenses (EDL) and enhanced ID cards (EID) also count. Five states issue them: Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Vermont and Washington.

A temporary or limited-term REAL ID is marked as temporary on its face and shows its expiration date (6 CFR 37.21(e)).

IDs TSA accepts if you do not have a REAL ID

TSA's list changes from time to time, so check the current list before you travel. It includes:

• a U.S. passport or passport card;
• a foreign government-issued passport;
• a permanent resident card (green card);
• a USCIS Employment Authorization Card (Form I-766);
• a border crossing card;
• a DHS trusted traveler card (Global Entry, NEXUS, SENTRI or FAST).

If you have no acceptable ID

Starting 1 February 2026, a traveler who cannot show an acceptable ID can choose to pay $45 to use TSA ConfirmID. TSA then tries to verify the traveler's identity. If it cannot, the traveler is not allowed past the checkpoint.

TSA's identification page lists a foreign government-issued passport as an accepted ID. It does not say that a traveler must also show visa or immigration papers. If you are unsure which immigration documents you should carry, ask an attorney.

Applying for a REAL ID at the DMV

Check your state DMV's document list first, because states may ask for more than the federal minimum. The federal rule (6 CFR 37.11) asks for:

• Identity and date of birth. Source documents include a U.S. passport, a permanent resident card (Form I-551), an unexpired Employment Authorization Document (Form I-766) and an unexpired foreign passport with a valid U.S. visa and the approved I-94 showing your most recent admission. A foreign passport alone is not on the list.
• Social Security number. Most applicants present their Social Security card or another document that shows the number. A person who presents a foreign passport with a visa must present an SSN or show non-work-authorized status.
• Address. Two documents showing your name and principal residence address.
• Lawful status. The DMV may issue a REAL ID only to a person who presents satisfactory evidence of lawful status.

Temporary lawful status: a card that expires with your stay

TSA says noncitizens lawfully admitted for permanent or temporary residence can get a full-term REAL ID. A person with other temporary lawful status can get a temporary REAL ID. It cannot last longer than the authorized stay, or one year if the stay has no definite end (6 CFR 37.21). States check status through DHS's SAVE system and renew a temporary card only if the status is still in effect.

An unexpired Employment Authorization Document is on the federal list of identity documents. Whether a DMV accepts other papers, such as a receipt notice for a pending case, depends on that state's rules, so ask before you go.