The deadline for Americans to get ID that complies with the Real lD law has been postponed from October 1 to a date yet to be set. The measure was taken to avoid sending as many as 10 million to driver license bureaus all over the country at a time when social distancing is the official norm.
Real ID was set to become a requirement for air travel, after several postponements. Once it comes into effect, an ordinary driver license will no longer be sufficient proof of identity and citizenship status for air travel. A compliant driver license or a passport will be the only acceptable documents.
The law requiring the enhanced identification was passed in 2005 with an implementation date in 2008, but repeated postponements and resistance by states that considered it an intrusion into privacy have made it one of the longest-running travel stories, hanging on even longer than the saga of Berlin’s new airport.
