What to know as real REAL ID requirement takes effect

DECATUR, Ill. (WAND) — With summer travel plans just around the corner, you should be prepared with your REAL ID. Starting May 7, 2025, a REAL ID is required for domestic and international air travel.

If you do not have your REAL ID, a passport will suffice for identification. However, if you don't have either, you will have to do additional background checks.

Tim Wright, Director at Decatur Airport, said to be prepared for the change to take effect in the coming months.

"We encourage people to arrive early, be patient. It will take a little bit longer if somebody in front of you doesn't have a REAL ID because they have to do some additional background checks," Wright explained.

Jessica Mayle, a spokesperson with the Transportation Security Administration, explained that those background checks could vary based on what airport you're flying through.

"Don't expect necessarily that the experience you have flying out of O'Hare with a noncompliant ID, you might have a different type of screening experience coming back from another airport with the same noncompliant ID," she said.

It is not too late to get your REAL ID; just because the deadline has passed doesn't mean the government will not accept an application. However, officials said you should expect a wait due to the influx of applications.