Real ID requirement kicks in today at airports across U.S.

Travel expectations without a Real ID

Don't person a Real ID? Here's what to expect if you're flying 02:53

As of Wednesday, U.S. travelers flying domestically are required to amusement a Real ID astatine airdrome checkpoints. The May 7 deadline for Americans to power to the federally compliant identification comes aft being delayed for much than 20 years. 

In the weeks earlier the caller ID request was acceptable to instrumentality effect connected Wednesday, travelers gathered extracurricular of authorities driver's licence agencies crossed the state to unafraid their Real ID, which has a prima marking astatine the upper-right portion of the card. 

Five states — Washington, Michigan, Minnesota, New York and Vermont — besides contented what is called an Enhanced Driver's License (EDL), oregon Enhanced ID. This is considered an acceptable alternate to a Real ID card. 

CBS News captured agelong hold times astatine the Real ID Supercenter successful downtown Chicago and the DMV successful Pomona, California, with lines snaking astir the block. 

Those without Real ID tin inactive apply

While the cards are required for home aerial question starting Wednesday, officials person emphasized that May 7 is not the past time Americans tin get a Real ID. "The immense bulk of radical bash not request a Real ID earlier Wednesday," Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias told CBS News Chicago. 

People who aren't flying until aboriginal successful the twelvemonth tin hold to marque an appointment. Air travelers are besides allowed to bring an alternate signifier of identification, specified arsenic a passport, to get done information checkpoints, according to the TSA. A database of alternate forms of recognition that volition beryllium accepted astatine information checkpoints tin beryllium recovered connected the TSA's website here.

Texas nonmigratory Donna Barron made definite to unafraid her Real ID earlier boarding a formation astatine Dallas' Love Field airport. "I'm prepared," she told CBS News Texas. "It's my archetypal clip going through, truthful I'm precise funny to spot however it's going to go."

The TSA said it's seeing astir 81% Real ID-compliance astatine airports, but has encouraged travelers to amusement up aboriginal to debar delays. 

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, during a legislature sheet connected Tuesday, said that aerial travelers who haven't yet secured a Real ID volition inactive beryllium capable to fly, though they whitethorn look other information hurdles. Such travelers "may beryllium diverted to a antithetic line, person an other step," Noem said, according to the Associated Press.

"You request to get determination 3 hours up of your departure clip for the home formation for this other level of security," AAA elder manager Robert Sinclair told CBS News New York. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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