Some Americans may need a passport to fly domestically in 2018

Residents of some US states may soon require additional ID, such as passports, if they wish to embark on domestic air travel.

 

Currently, Americans only need to bring with them a driver’s license to fly domestically within the US. However, that may soon change for residents of certain states.

 

Some states have not yet introduced the standards required by the 2005 Real ID Act, which demands stricter regulations for state-issued IDs.

 

The Transportation Security Admission (TSA) will stop accepting driver’s licenses that don’t comply with the act once the grace period of three months expires on 22nd January 2018.

 

Residents of states like California, South Carolina and New Jersey will need a passport to travel on domestic flights if those states fail to introduce the standards required.

 

At the time of writing, according to the Department of Homeland Security’s website, only 27 US states are compliant with the Real ID Act.

 

That act was passed in Congress in 2005 in the aftermath of 9/11, but enforcement has been rolling out in stages since 2013