WACO, Texas (KXXV) — Are you ready for your next flight? You might want to check your identification to see if it has the required REAL ID marking. The deadline is May 7th, and you must have it or you can not fly.
- The deadline for REAL ID is on Wednesday, May 7th.
- If you do not have the REAL ID marking on your identification or you do not have a valid passport, you will not be able to fly.
- For more information on REAL ID, click here.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Have you ever wanted to see the Panama Canal, Alaska, or Budapest? Wherever your next vacation may be, Bambi Eskew’s got you covered.
“How long have you been with Alan Samuels House of Travel? 41 years?” 25 News asked.
“41,” Bami Eskew answered, President and General Manager of Allen Samuels House of Travel.
“My mother started the travel agency in 1974, yeah, and then Alan Samuels bought us in 2000 when she retired,” she said.
With all her travel expertise, Bambi’s also up to speed with airline rules, including the upcoming REAL ID deadline.
“Real ID is something that's been started for actually all over the United States, and it kind of came about after 9/11. But it was kind of to help make sure that people have valid IDs that are going to be able to be verified by the state and the federal people,” Bambi said.
“Anytime you want to fly on a flight, you've got to have that REAL ID in order for them to be able to you know use the verifications and to make sure that it— it meets all the standards,” she said.
By May 7th, you cannot fly or get into a federal building without your identification having a star like this, or without an up-to-date passport.
“You're still going to travel internationally if you have a passport, then you still are able to travel without that REAL ID because you either travel with a passport or with a driver's license if you're flying in the states. But anytime you leave the states, you have to have that passport,” Bambi said.
