For years, Washington driver’s licenses have not met the REAL ID requirements, meaning that at a certain deadline they can no longer be used by someone for airline travel.
That deadline, however, keeps getting pushed back.
The previous deadline for states to upgrade their driver’s licenses and IDs was May 3, 2023, and this has since been pushed back to May 7, 2025, according to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
The original deadline was set back in 2008.
Washington and other states will have more time to bring their licenses and IDs up to the standards established by the REAL ID Act, which was passed in 2005 after the 9/11 Commission report. The act established minimum security requirements for state licenses, which includes anti-counterfeiting technology, the prevention of insider fraud and the use of documentary evidence and record checks to ensure a traveler is who they say they are.
“DHS continues to work closely with U.S. states, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. territories to meet REAL ID requirements,” Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas said. “This extension will give states needed time to ensure their residents can obtain a REAL ID-compliant license or identification card. DHS will also use this time to implement innovations to make the process more efficient and accessible. We will continue to ensure that the American public can travel safely.”
DHS stated the lingering impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic have delayed the ability for people to get the required ID cards as state agencies work through backlogs. People in Washington who get an enhanced driver’s license for an additional fee receive the REAL ID-compliant card. During the pandemic though, licensing offices were closed, which hampered people’s ability to obtain the updated cards.
Washington’s regular driver’s license is not a valid federal ID because the state does not require proof of legal residency to get one.
Since 2005, the Transportation Security Administration has also made security improvements for checkpoints and screening. The Real ID standards, DHS noted, would simply make state issued driver’s licenses and ID cards more reliable.
Only about 43% of IDs in the country are REAL ID compliant currently.
