On May 7, 2025, U.S. travelers must be REAL ID compliant to board domestic flights and access certain federal facilities. For years, the federal government has tried to implement the requirement but has faced one challenge after another. The Department of Homeland Security previously said the 2025 extension was due to backlogs created by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The REAL ID requirement was initially scheduled to take effect in 2008 after former President George Bush signed the Real ID Act into law in 2005.