May 7, 2025 - News
What Coloradans should know about the Real ID deadline
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Today is the deadline for a Real ID-compliant license — or another acceptable document — to board a commercial flight in the U.S.
Yes, but: Even though an estimated 2.1 million Coloradans lack a passport (a valid Real ID alternative), you can breathe easy for a couple reasons:
- Thanks to a 2012 state requirement, most Colorado-issued licenses — 5 million and counting — already meet Real ID standards, per the state DMV.
- And for those that don't, you can still fly, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said yesterday.
Reality check: Travelers without a Real ID should expect "an extra step" — and possibly a detour to a "different line," Noem said.
The bottom line: Real ID or not, brace for long lines, mild panic and the slow unraveling of your will to travel. (Just kidding.) But pack snacks accordingly.