There’s a countdown coming that could have a major impact on you and any trade shows you’re signed up for in late 2020 and beyond.
In just under a year (October 1, 2020), the TSA will officially begin requiring all Americans to present REAL ID-compliant identification to pass through airport security. That means your old-style driver’s license won’t cut it.
Now this issue has been front-and-center in my home state of Missouri, since only recently things got approved so that we could even request a REAL ID. Some states, on the other hand, have been issuing the new licenses for quite a while.
But the fact remains that many Americans are unaware and unprepared.
- The majority (57%) are unaware of the October 1, 2020 deadline
- an estimated 182 million Americans (72%) either have a standard driver’s license (which won’t work) or are unsure whether their ID is REAL ID-compliant
Even though the law was passed in 2005, the Department of Homeland Security allowed a long grace period for states to become compliant. But that deadline will run out now in less than a year. So that means come October of next year, many exhibitors and attendees could be left standing at their home airports, unable to fly to the trade show.
Here’s what you need to know – be sure to pass it along to everyone involved in your upcoming events. (The U.S. Travel Association has a handy toolkit you can download with a fact sheet and social media graphics.) And if you need to get your REAL ID, be sure to do it long before next October!
