Starting May 7, 2025, Michigan residents will need a REAL ID to fly domestically in the U.S. Ensuring that your ID is in compliance is vital, especially for business leaders who travel domestically.
What is a REAL ID?
REAL ID can be any of the following:
- Your driver’s license or ID card, but only if it includes the REAL ID star in a gold circle or as part of an image of Michigan.
- Your enhanced driver’s license or enhanced ID card.
- A valid U.S. passport, passport card, or other document listed at TSA.gov
How will REAL ID affect me?
Beginning May 7, 2025, you must have a REAL ID-compliant document to board domestic flights and enter certain federal facilities, nuclear power plants, and U.S. military bases. REAL ID is a federal law passed after 9/11.
Michigan’s old license and ID design features a star in a gold circle to indicate REAL ID compliance, but will be phased out by January 2029.
The state’s new license design features a star in a silhouette of Michigan. Both versions of the star are acceptable. Enhanced licenses and IDs are automatically REAL ID-compliant, regardless of whether they display the star.
Applying for a REAL ID driver’s license or ID card
Schedule a visit to a Secretary of State office online or by calling 888-SOS-MICH. Bring the following to your office appointment:
- Your driver’s license or ID card.
- Your certified birth certificate with a raised seal or stamp issued by a governmental agency; your valid, unexpired U.S. passport; or an approved citizenship or legal presence document. Faxes and photocopies will not be accepted.
- If your name differs from what is on your birth certificate, bring certified documents for every time your name has changed, such as marriage licenses or court orders.
There is no additional fee for a standard REAL ID if you apply when renewing your license or ID card. A duplicate card fee will be due if you apply for a REAL ID at any other time. There is an additional fee for an enhanced license or ID.