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Real ID takes effect this year — are you in compliance?

It's 2020, so it means you may want to think about getting a "Real ID."

HOUSTON — It's 2020, and that means the deadline is nearing for air travelers to make sure their identification is in compliance with legal requirements or risk being turned away at the airport.

Beginning this fall all travelers will be required to be "REAL ID compliant."

Take action now so you're not caught in the rush of people trying to get their IDs updated at the last minute.

Starting Oct. 1, 2020 anyone 18 or older will need a REAL ID compliant driver’s license or ID card to fly in the U.S. The goal is to prevents and deter terrorists’ abilities to produce fraudulent identification.

REAL ID compliant licenses and IDs are marked with the cutout of a star in a gold background in the upper righthand corner:

Credit: KHOU

If your card does not have the star, you can continue to use the card after Oct. 1, 2020, but it will only be accepted for state-related purposes such as driving (driver license only), banking, and voting. It will not be accepted as identification for federal purposes.

ON THE WEB: The Texas REAL ID document check website

Another form of travel ID you can use instead is a passport.

So what about your license to carry ID? Yes, those can be used as legal ID in Texas, but no it will not have a gold star on it. You can also not use the license to carry ID as a way to fly.

Here are all the forms of ID that TSA says its agents will accept before boarding a flight:

Adult passengers 18 and over must show valid identification at the airport checkpoint in order to travel.

  • Driver's licenses or other state photo identity cards issued by Department of Motor Vehicles (or equivalent)
  • U.S. passport
  • U.S. passport card
  • DHS trusted traveler cards (Global Entry, NEXUS, SENTRI, FAST)
  • U.S. Department of Defense ID, including IDs issued to dependents
  • Permanent resident card
  • Border crossing card
  • State-issued Enhanced Driver’s License
  • Federally recognized, tribal-issued photo ID
  • HSPD-12 PIV card
  • Foreign government-issued passport
  • Canadian provincial driver's license or Indian and Northern Affairs Canada card
  • Transportation worker identification credential
  • U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Employment Authorization Card (I-766)
  • U.S. Merchant Mariner Credential

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