US Travelers Have a Year to Get Their REAL ID. The REAL ID law goes into effect on Oct. 1, 2020. As stipulated by the REAL ID Act passed by Congress in 2005, the law requires the enhancement of U.S. driver's licenses with a star at the top. In most states, having the star added to a driver's license at the DMV requires presenting a birth certificate, Social Security card and two forms of address verification. According to the U.S. Travel Association, 75% of Americans currently do not have the REAL ID. If you don't have one of the compliant IDs, either a REAL ID or one of the alternatives, like a passport, you're actually gonna be turned away at the checkpoint and you're not going to be allowed to board your flight, Erik Hansen, VP U.S. Travel Association, via NPR News. On the day the REAL ID law goes into effect, 78,000 people will potentially be turned away by TSA. . Although passports and military IDs will continue to be accepted, many are still expecting a disastrous day of travel once the law goes into effect. Most people don't have a passport. And most people are not in the military or veterans, so it's going to be that driver's license nine times out of 10, Sen. Roger Wicker (R-MS), via NPR News
