BILLINGS — Traveling can often be stressful, and starting Wednesday, May 7, getting through airport security may become challenging for those without a REAL ID.
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) will require passengers to present a REAL ID or another approved form of identification to pass through TSA checkpoints and enter federal facilities.
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For travelers without a Real ID, options are available. A U.S. passport remains a valid alternative. TSA has a full list of acceptable forms of identification aside from a REAL ID.
“They include things like a lawful permanent residency card or a foreign government-issued passport. Tribal IDs,” Lorie Dankers, a TSA spokesperson, said on Thursday. “Your personal enforcement date is the date that you are traveling and so, while enforcement starts on May 7th, you will probably not experience that until your first airline trip."
While Montana has a REAL ID compliance rate of just 34.46%, the national average is significantly higher at 81%. According to Dankers, on May 7, 500,000 travelers at airports nationwide will not be ready for enforcement.
“A person who does not have a REAL ID-compliant ID will experience some form of delay as we work through this,” said the TSA Federal Security Director for Montana, Kc Wurtsbaugh. "Our intent is to keep the traveling public moving."
As the deadline approaches, it’s crucial for travelers to assess their ID status. Some individuals reported wait times of up to a month at the Motor Vehicle Division.
"I was told that it's a month out to get your REAL ID and I've been meaning to come in here and get it," said Terri Krank, who was waiting outside the Billings Motor Vehicle Division Thursday. "I thought a lot of people have gotten theirs already but you know a lot of people wait till the last minute."
Adding a REAL ID to a driver's license will be $25.
Related:
REAL ID deadline is approaching
