To comply with a new federal law taking effect on Jan. 1, 2016, residents living in New York, New Hampshire, Louisiana, Minnesota and American Samoa may be required to use a passport to travel on domestic flights, reported ABC News.
The government has slowly been implementing the 2005 Real ID Act over the past decade, which set standards for issuance of sources of identification and requires domestic travelers to present a state-issued enhanced driver's license (EDL) starting at the beginning of 2016.
Since the aforementioned states and territory haven't upgraded their driver's licenses to meet federal standards, the licenses will no longer be valid at airports, and even domestic travelers will need to present a second form of ID to the TSA, such as a passport of military identification card.
"The Act established minimum security standards for license issuance and production and prohibits federal agencies from accepting for certain purposes driver's licenses and identification cards from states not meeting the Act's minimum standards," according to the Department of Homeland Security's Real ID Act guidelines.
A passport costs at least $110, though the Huffington Post notes that New York residents can purchase an enhanced ID for $30 in addition to other license fees. Minnesota also offers one.
Some worry the law could lead to agitation and disorder as travelers find out they are not able to pass through airport security and end up missing flights. "People are not aware of it. It's a matter of concern for us," Douglas Kidd, executive director of the National Association of Airlines Passengers, told the Post. "Flying is a right, not a privilege."
Approximately 70-80 percent of all U.S. drivers have either received an extension or currently hold licenses that meet the Act's standards. Twenty-two states have complied and 24 have received exemptions, and it's possible the non-compliant states and territory could receive an exemption before the law goes into effect, according to Fox News.
According to DHS, the EDLs are also designed to "provide travelers with a low-cost, convenient alternative for entering the United States from Canada, Mexico or the Caribbean through a land or sea port of entry, in addition to serving as a permit to drive."
The licenses include a vicinity radio frequency identification (RFID) chip that "will signal a secure system to pull up your biographic and biometric data for the CBP (U.S. Customs and Border Protection) officer as you approach the border inspection booth."
They also contain a "machine readable zone or barcode that the CBP officer can read electronically if RFID isn't available."
To obtain the upgraded license, drivers must provide a Social Security number, proof of identity and proof of residency, leading critics to raise privacy concerns, according to Fox.
