DHS has released a phased roll out schedule for enforcement of the REAL ID Act of 2005, enacting a key recommendation from the 9/11 commission establishing minimum security standards for state issued driver licenses and identification cards and prohibiting federal agencies from accepting for official purposes those documents unless DHS determines that the state meets the minimum standards.
According to DHS, 41 states and territories already are either fully compliant with the REAL ID standards or have made sufficient progress to qualify for an extension.
Each implementation phase will begin with a three-month period where agencies will provide notice to individuals attempting use driver’s licenses or identification cards from noncompliant states but still allow access.After this period is over, agencies will no longer accept such identification for entry to federal facilities, and individuals will need to follow the agency’s alternate procedures (to be made available by the agency).
The federal government on January 20 will begin phasing in enforcement, starting withaccess to restricted areas of DHS headquarters in Washington before expanding to other federal facilities later this year.
Phase 2 covers restricted areas for all federal facilities and nuclear power plants. Phase 3 covers semi-restricted areas for remaining federal facilities, and in a fourth phase, to begin no earlier than 2016, acceptable IDs would be required for boarding a federally regulated commercial aircraft.