This article was prepared with the assistance of ABIL, the Alliance of Business Immigration Lawyers, of which Loan Huynh, Fredrikson Immigration Department Chair, is a member.
On May 3, 2021, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) published an interim final rule extending the REAL ID card-based enforcement deadline to May 3, 2023. A new final rule published March 9, 2023 further extends the date for card-based enforcement of the REAL ID regulations to May 7, 2025. Beginning on that date, federal agencies cannot accept a state-issued driver’s license or identification card for official purposes unless it is REAL ID compliant and issued by a state that DHS has determined is in full compliance.
Current regulations also permit federal agencies to accept noncompliant driver’s licenses and identification cards for official purposes until May 2, 2023. The final rule also extends that date, authorizing federal agencies to continue to accept noncompliant driver’s licenses and identification cards for official purposes until May 6, 2025.
