According to the Transportation Security Administration, approximately 81% of Americans already have a REAL ID.
SAN ANTONIO — Tuesday is your last day to get your paperwork together for a REAL ID.
If you’re catching a flight after Tuesday, you will now need that gold starred id to get through the airport. The REAL ID requirement goes into effect Wednesday. It was passed by Congress in 2005 in light of September 11.
We don’t have the exact wait times for how long it can take to sign up for a REAL ID appointment, but to get a driver’s permit in San Antonio, that can take two and half months. And with the Wednesday deadline, you could be waiting a while.
If you don’t know what the REAL ID looks like in Texas or are unsure if you have one, it has a gold drawing of the state and a gold star in the corner. That’s what you’ll need to make it through the airport and fly domestically.
The TSA regional office says 98% of Texans already have the real id but almost 20% of our national population still doesn’t have one.
They’re encouraging travelers to show up four to five hours early to catch a flight in case they need to verify your identity.
If we have 100 travelers without REAL ID and your number 99 on that list, you may not be able to be verified in time to make your flight.
In the meantime, alternatives you can bring for a REAL ID is your passport or your military ID.
They identify forms of identification you can bring to get through the airport on the TSA’s website.
You can check the Texas DPS website to see when and where you can set an appointment.