STEWART AIRPORT – If you are planning to fly anywhere in the United States and don’t want to show your passport at the airport, you can get a REAL ID driver’s license at your county motor vehicle office.
Effective May 3, 2023, all airports will require that fliers have those new licenses.
State DMV Commissioner Mark Schroeder and TSA Federal Security Director Robert Duffy were at New York Stewart International Airport near Newburgh on Thursday to drive that message home.
Duffy noted having that type of license will be a federal requirement.
“The world has become a dangerous place since 9/11 and those were the events that drove this need fore REAL ID. And that’s especially important to us here in New York the terrible events of that day started here in New York City,” he said.
Effective next May, passengers taking domestic flights will need either a passport or a REAL-ID compliant document to fly. A standard driver’s license will no longer be acceptable under federal law.
An Enhanced ID is acceptable for REAL ID purposes and can also be used instead of a passport to return to the US by land or sea from Canada, Mexico and some Caribbean countries.
