Is Your Texas ID Real ID Compliant? You Better Find Out Quick

The deadline for having a Real ID Texas ID card or driver license is coming up quick, here's how to tell if yours is ok.

As of May 7, 2025, all Texas ID cards and driver licenses MUST be Real ID compliant or else you may find yourself unable to visit certain places or do certain things. Keep in mind that Texas DPS offices have been experiencing huge wait times lately. If you are able to, handling your business online is strongly recommended.

It's not just Texas that is enforcing the new Real ID standards and only accepting Real ID's, this policy will go into effect nationwide. Same for the District of Columbia and all 5 US territories.

How Can I Spot A Real ID?

To see if your ID is a "Real ID", look for one of these symbols in the upper right corner.

Passed by Congress in 2005, the REAL ID Act enacted the 9/11 Commission's recommendation that the Federal Government “set standards for the issuance of sources of identification, such as driver's licenses.” The Act established minimum security standards for state-issued driver's licenses and identification cards and prohibits certain federal agencies from accepting for official purposes licenses and identification cards from states that do not meet these standards. - dhs.gov

These purposes are:

• Accessing certain federal facilities
• Boarding federally regulated commercial aircraft
• Entering nuclear power plants

Your Real ID will work fine all by itself for domestic travel, international travel will still require a valid US passport. You can learn more about Real ID and/or how to get one here.