Real ID Act

Half of the states and territories in the US will require a passport for domestic travel. This is called the Real ID Act and states were given until January 22, 2018 to comply. That’s right. Your driver’s license may not be good enough any more for a quick trip to Vegas. These states (mine included) do not issue compliant state identification and were given the above extension to get their act together. At this writing, things are a bit up in the air and unclear.

People have been advised to secure their passports in the event the Real ID Act is followed to the letter. Of course, this is easier said than done. Unlike a state ID or driver’s license, a passport costs a pretty penny. 11000 of them in fact. Our family is going one passport at a time, and this will end up costing us $550.

This act does bring about a few questions. How can this be imposed broadly on the public when there is a high financial cost for each citizen. Domestic travel is an entirely different issue than international escapades. While no one was particularly excited about the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative that was put into action in 2008, this effected a much smaller population of Americans. Remember, that’s when everyone needed a passport to visit places like Canada, Mexico and the Bahamas and college kids couldn’t jump across the border to drink and go dancing as easily.

Not everyone can afford $110. I can only imagine how many families will be grounded due to financial burden. What happens then, when there is a emergency out of state.

The below states are current and on the naughty list as of this publishing.

States that may need a passport for domestic travel

Arkansas

Arizona

Colorado

Georgia

Hawaii

Idaho

Illinois

Louisiana

Michigan

Minnesota

Missouri

Montana

Nebraska

Nevada

New Hampshire

North Dakota

Oklahoma

Pennsylvania

South Carolina

Tennessee

Virginia

Washington

Maine

Utah

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