DHS head Noem says travelers can still fly without REAL ID with extra steps

David Matthews, New York Daily News on May 6, 2025

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Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said Tuesday that travelers who have not upgraded to a REAL ID will still be able to take domestic flights for the time being.

However, Noem told a House appropriations subcommittee that travelers without Real ID-compliant cards should be prepared to take extra steps at U.S. airports after the new requirement takes effect Wednesday.

“What will happen tomorrow is folks will come through the (TSA screening) line, and will issue their ID and show it. If it’s not compliant, they may be diverted to a different line, have an extra step, but people will be allowed to fly,” Noem said Tuesday without clarifying what that extra security step would entail.

The Real ID Act was passed in 2005 in another attempt to increase airport security following the Sept. 11 attacks. However, implementation has faced decades of delays before the Biden administration set the latest enforcement date in 2022.

“We intend to follow the law, so we will make sure that it is as seamless as possible, and that travelers will get to stay on their intended itinerary,” Noem said. “But we are telling people that this law will be enforced, and it will allow us to know individuals in this country, who they are and that they’re authorized to travel.”

More than 80% of travelers already use REAL ID-compliant cards, Noem said, so wait times at the airport are not expected to increase.

She did not address whether visitors to military and federal bases, which are also subject to the new law, will be able to enter with additional screening.

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