when did real id start

The REAL ID program began with the passage of the REAL ID Act of 2005 , which was signed into law on May 11, 2005, in response to the September 11, 2001 attacks.

Key dates in REAL ID

• Law passed: The REAL ID Act was enacted by Congress and signed by President George W. Bush on May 11, 2005.

• Initial planned start: The identification document provisions were originally intended to take effect in 2008, but that enforcement date was delayed.

• States start complying: Many states began moving toward compliance around 2012 after years of resistance and negotiation.

• Phased enforcement: Federal enforcement at facilities rolled out between 2014 and 2018, depending on the type of facility and state compliance.

• Air travel enforcement: As of current federal planning, travelers will need a REAL ID–compliant license or another acceptable ID to board commercial flights starting May 7, 2025.

Simple takeaway

• If the question is “when did REAL ID start?” , the answer most people mean is: it started as a law in 2005 , with practical implementation and enforcement slowly rolling out from the late 2000s into the 2010s, and full air-travel enforcement scheduled for 2025.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.