Real ID or Enhanced ID: What are the differences?

New York’s Staten Island. If you don’t have the correct ID card, you may be refused entry to an airplane within a few months.

Here is all you need to know about the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV), as you may prefer one over the other depending on where you’re heading.

The federal government will mandate that passengers boarding domestic planes have a driver’s license or other identification card that complies with Real ID starting on May 7, 2025.

Residents can choose between an Enhanced ID and a regular Real ID from the DMV.

Travelers will be able to enter some federal buildings and board domestic flights using both the Real ID and the Enhanced ID.

Enhanced IDs will, however, also enable citizens of Canada, Mexico, and some Caribbean nations to enter the United States by land and sea without a passport.

Enhanced IDs only permit land and sea travel between these nations; they do not permit air travel. All international flights still require a passport.

Enhanced IDs have an American flag in the bottom-right corner and a banner that reads “Enhanced.” Real IDs are identified by a star logo in the top-right corner.

The words “Not For Federal Purposes” are now shown in the upper-right corner of standard ID cards, which are nonetheless valid for all other uses than traveling domestically and entering federal buildings.

To get a Real ID, one needs to visit a DMV office. Real IDs cannot be obtained by mail, phone, or internet.

Getting a Real ID doesn’t cost extra. All standard transaction fees are still applicable, though. In addition to the standard transaction fees, an Enhanced ID will cost an additional $30.

U.S. passports that are still valid can still be used to board aircraft because they already comply with Real ID.