Dear Friends and Neighbors,
For those with upcoming airline travel plans concerned about using their Minnesota driver's license to board an airplane, I wanted to share some great news we received from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on Friday.
The earliest that DHS would require REAL ID compliant identification to board a commercial flight is January 22, 2018, and states may receive additional extensions after that date. All travelers must have a REAL ID compliant form of identification for domestic air travel starting on October 1, 2020.
So if you have any upcoming travel plans, I hope this news puts your mind at ease. Your driver's license will still work as a proper form of ID to fly for at least the next two years.
Additionally, this means that the legislature has plenty of time to comply with REAL ID requirements when we reconvene for the 2016 legislative session in March. My priority is to ensure that Minnesotans can continue to fly without difficulty.
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Please know my office is available to you. If I can be of any assistance to you or your family on a matter of state government, please don’t hesitate to contact me.
Sincerely,
Kelly