New REAL ID Options: What It Means In CA

CALIFORNIA — As the deadline gets closer for California travelers to have a REAL ID-compliant driver's license or state identification card, federal officials have set new guidelines that could allow travelers to use digital licenses after the changeover.

Under the REAL ID Act of 2005, travelers will need an updated physical driver's license, ID card, passport, or other approved alternative before they can board domestic flights, enter nuclear power plants, or access certain federal buildings.

For the average Californian, the key date to keep in mind is May 7, 2025. That's the day REAL ID regulations are currently set to take effect (the original deadline was in 2008).

• View the DMV's fact sheet about the REAL ID here.

However, travelers may get even more time to get their REAL IDs sorted out after officials last month proposed allowing the requirements to be implemented in phases. That could push the date for full REAL ID enforcement back to May 2027, if the Transportation Security Administration and other federal agencies choose to take this phased approach. As of January, a little over half of Americans had REAL ID-compliant cards, according to the Department of Homeland Security.

The original REAL ID legislation also prohibited the TSA and other federal agencies from accepting "non-compliant" digital forms of identification, but newly published amendments will allow states to apply for a waiver allowing travelers to use their mobile driver's licenses (mDLs) at airport security checkpoints.

These forms of ID are stored on devices such as smartphones, and can be read electronically at certain checkpoints.

Earlier this year, California expanded its mDL pilot program to Apple and Google wallets, and travelers can already use the CA DMV Wallet app at TSA checkpoints in select terminals at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), San Francisco International Airport (SFO), and Mineta San Jose International Airport (SJC).

Under the amended rules, states will be allowed to apply for a waiver from the TSA to accept non-compliant digital identification cards — as long as they meet certain federal standards — once REAL ID enforcement begins.

The TSA said it published the rule about mDLs early, so that states have time to make sure their digital ID systems are compliant with REAL ID fraud protections. More comprehensive requirements are likely to come once federal guidelines are finalized.

State officials can apply for the temporary waiver after the amendments take effect on Nov. 25, and the DHS will publish a list of approved states on its website after the agency begins issuing waivers.