REAL ID Act: Increasing security in the U.S.

Photo By Ashley Maldonado-Suarez | REAL ID Act: Increasing security in the U.S.  

SEYMOUR JOHNSON AIR FORCE BASE, NC, UNITED STATES

10.24.2016

Story by Airman 1st Class Ashley Maldonado-Suarez 

4th Fighter Wing   

The REAL ID Act of 2005 established new minimum security standards across the country for state-issued driver’s licenses and identification cards. It also prohibits Federal agencies from accepting licenses and ID cards for official purposes from states that have not yet met these standards.
New policies and processes associated with the REAL ID Act are currently enacted at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, North Carolina, which may cause denial of access for some visitors. Service members and their families should familiarize themselves with the new policies and processes for visitors accessing Air Force installations and causes for denial of access.
Beginning Aug. 16, 2016, all visitors to Federal facilities and Air Force installations should contact the facility to determine the proper required identification that is accepted and undergo a background check. Military members who escort visitors with free-roaming access onto base must also undergo a background check.
Visitors seeking access to Air Force installations using state identification from states that are not in compliance will no longer be authorized access without additional documentation, according to the REAL ID Act. According to the DHS, Kentucky, Maine, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, and South Carolina are currently not in compliance, however, they may have received an extension.
Service members and their dependents may also be affected by the REAL ID Act when travelling with commercial airlines.
Jeh Johnson, Secretary of Homeland Security, announced on Jan. 8, 2016, the following timetable for the implementation of the REAL ID Act for air travel:
• Starting Jan. 22, 2018, passengers with a driver’s license issued by a state that is still not compliant with the REAL ID Act (and has not been granted an extension) will need to show an alternative form of acceptable identification for domestic air travel to board their flight. To check whether your state is compliant or has an extension, go to the DHS website. Passengers with driver’s licenses issued by a state that is compliant with REAL ID (or a state that has been issued an extension) will still be able to use their driver’s licenses or identification cards.
• Beginning Oct. 1, 2020, every air traveler will need a REAL ID-compliant license, or another acceptable form of identification, for domestic air travel.
This timetable recognizes that some states must change their laws to comply with the REAL ID Act. It is also designed to provide an opportunity for members of the public to learn more about the implications of not having a REAL ID-compliant license, and so that individuals have an ample opportunity to replace their pre-REAL ID licenses with new compliant licenses or to obtain another acceptable form of identification.
According to the DHS, along with REAL ID-compliant state-issued driver’s licenses, Federal agencies accept other forms of ID, such as state Enhanced Driver’s Licenses that are designated as acceptable border-crossing documents by the DHS under the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative. Federal agencies also accept U.S. passports or passport cards, DHS trusted traveler cards (Global Entry, NEXUS, SENTRI, FAST), U.S. military ID (active duty or retired military and their dependents, and Department of Defense civilians) and permanent resident card.
“When planning a visit to a federal facility or military base, visitors should contact the facility to determine what identification will be accepted,” said Tech. Sgt. Jonathan Waddell, 4th Security Forces Squadron pass and registration noncommissioned officer in-charge.
Waddell’s statements reinforce the DHS’s advice to any and all who wish to visit an Air Force Base.
For more information, please call [phone] or go to www.dhs.gov/real-id-public-faqs or www.dhs.gov/current-status-states-territories.

• Date Taken: 10.24.2016
• Date Posted: 10.24.2016 15:26
• Story ID: 212760
• Location: SEYMOUR JOHNSON AIR FORCE BASE, NC, US