As CA Real ID Deadline Nears, Extension Is Granted

In the final hour, Californians looking to fly domestically without a passport or an updated "Real ID" license have been spared from a travel nightmare. For now. Current California licenses will continue to be a valid form of identification for air travel until 2020.

That's according to the California DMV, who announced this week that a previous deadline issued by the Department of Homeland Security for the Golden State's Real ID approval has been extended, despite the government shutdown. If the extension had not been granted, Californians would have been required to present a passport for air travel as of Jan. 22.

"However, starting October 1, 2020, every air traveler will need a REAL ID-compliant license/ID or another acceptable form of identification for domestic travel," the TSA said on Twitter on Thursday.

California officials are now working to ensure the state's Real IDs are compliant with federal standards. The original deadline for this was Jan. 10, but the extension now goes into April.

Regardless, "October 1, 2020, is when enforcement [on Real IDs] begins and the only date that Californians need to worry about," the DMV said.

Click here for more information on Real IDs via the DMV.

— Image via California DMV