With 2017 around the corner, it's a good time for a reminder that starting in 2018, the Transportation Security Administration will no longer accept state ID cards or driver's licenses from nine states as proof of identification.
Flyers with driver's licenses from Kentucky, Maine, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina and Washington will need an alternative form of ID, like a passport or military ID.
In December, the Department of Homeland Security announced they would start posting signs at airports alerting travelers to the change in TSA procedure that might disrupt more than a few travel plans.
Why institute a policy that might make flying more stressful? In a statement, DHS explained that the change is an outcome of the REAL ID law passed by Congress in 2005. It created minimum criteria for state-issued licenses used as proof of ID.
"States have made considerable progress in meeting this key recommendation of the 9/11 Commission and every state has a more secure driver’s license today than before the passage of the Act," DHS writes on the website. So far, the nine states listed above have failed to achieve compliance with the REAL ID standards, according to DHS.
