If your New York State-issued driver’s license or non-driver ID has a U.S. flag on it, you already possess a REAL ID
Erie County, NY – Erie County Clerk Michael P. Kearns is instructing motorists in New York State who possess an "enhanced" version of their driver's license or non-driver identification card already comply with the REAL ID standard and do not need to take further action.
“We continue to receive numerous phone calls, emails and in-person inquiries at our DMV branches from customers with an enhanced license who were told they needed to upgrade to a REAL ID,” said Erie County Clerk Mickey Kearns. “I assure you, if you currently have a U.S. flag on your New York State-issued document, you are free to fly about the country.”
New York, along with four other states, offers an "enhanced driver’s license," which requires the same application proof and meets the same criteria as the REAL ID to comply with upgraded federal standards. Applicants must also be U.S. citizens and pay an additional fee of $30.
Kearns and his staff have been told by customers that Transportation Security Administration (TSA) agents, at the Buffalo Niagara International Airport as well as airports in Florida and elsewhere, have mistakenly informed them that they need a REAL ID displaying a star icon on their license or id card and said an enhanced document will not be accepted on or after the May 7th deadline, despite TSA’s website stating otherwise.
“I have contacted TSA directly a few times and shared the concerns of what we are hearing from the traveling public,” stated Kearns. “They have assured me that New York State’s enhanced version is and will be accepted at all airports nationwide.”
Unlike a REAL ID, an enhanced license, permit, or non-driver ID can also be used to cross the U.S. border by land or sea into Canada, Mexico, and some Caribbean countries. A U.S. passport is still required to fly outside of the U.S. and for any any cross-border travel to other countries.
To learn more about the REAL ID, review the list of acceptable documents required, or to schedule a DMV appointment, please visit erie.gov/clerk/REALID or contact the Clerk’s Outreach Center at 716-858-8864.
