The Transportation Security Administration has issued a reminder to U.S. citizens to acquire a REAL ID before it becomes mandatory for domestic travel on May 7.
Designs of a REAL ID will vary for every state in the country, but the majority of these designs feature a gold star in the upper right corner of the identification or the word “enhanced,” according to KERA.
The majority of citizens already have a REAL ID, as most states have automatically issued these forms of ID when driver’s licenses have been renewed since 2016, but roughly 20% of Americans have yet to make the change.
Texas TSA Spokesperson Patricia Mancha said that this change will help ensure the safety of passengers and has been in the works for a long time.
“As a result of the 9/11 commission, this was a recommendation that came through. This is part of secure flight and making sure the traveler who is traveling and presents the ID is the same person,” she explained, per KSAT.
Mancha reminded residents that they will likely need to make an appointment with the Texas Department of Public Safety due to the busy nature of the department.
“All of our social media platforms on TSA we’re really pushing information, knowledge and where to go to get your REAL ID,” she said, per Fox 4 KDFW.
“There may be a wait of days, weeks, and even months, so don’t wait until May 5th to make an appointment because you have a flight on May 7th.”
Mancha further explained that citizens could still fly without a REAL ID because the “TSA will work with you to try to validate and verify your identity,” though this is not always guaranteed.
“This is not a fast process, so we recommend that you get here at least four hours before your flight,” she added, per KERA.
“I want to point out that there are no guarantees we will work with you, because we deal with travelers every day who lose their documents.”
The TSA is also reportedly testing the use of digital scanners as a form of identification, per Fox. Passengers could potentially import their driver’s licenses into the wallet on their phones. Texas is not participating in this pilot program.