Real ID Act

Starting October 1, 2020, every US state and territory resident will need to present a Real ID-compliant license/ID or another acceptable form of identification (like a passport or passport card) for accessing federal facilities — including boarding commercial airplanes.
If it is Real ID compliant, there will be a star in the top right corner; many drivers may not realize they already have one, since some states have been issuing them for a few years.

You need a Real ID if:
• You want to fly with only your state-issued ID
• You do not have a passport or another TSA-approved ID
• You need to visit a secure federal facility, such as a military base, and do not have a military ID

Incidentally, a Real ID is not a substitute for a passport for international travel.

Passport vs. Visa

A passport serves two purposes: to regain entry to the country of citizenship (i.e. the United States) and is a requirement by many countries to gain entry to the country you are visiting.

A travel visa can be a stamp or sticker placed by officials of a foreign country on a passport that allows the bearer to visit that country.

Visas are obtained from the proper embassy or local consulates of the country to be visited. Visit is defined as the reason for entry, usually business, tourist or transitory. There are over 270 countries that offer travel visas and literally thousands of different types of visas available based upon country, type of visit, and length of visit. A travel visa is an official government document that temporarily authorizes you to be in the country you are visiting. There are about 185 different types of visas.


There are two main categories of US visas:  Non-immigrant visa - for temporary visits such as for tourism, business, work, visiting family, or studying. Immigrant visa - for people to immigrate to the United States.