Flying

Wired - Already planning your big vacation for next year? If you’re flying within the United States, you better add one more item to that to-do list: Update your license to Real ID. Anyone who has a license that isn’t Real ID–certified will not be allowed to board domestic flights in the US starting May 7, 2025. So unless you have a passport on hand, you’ll need to update your license soon....

Curious about what the new licenses look like, and how to get your own before the deadline passes? Here’s everything you need to know about the switch to Real ID. It looks quite similar to previous driver’s licenses, so don’t expect any drastic changes to the ID’s appearance. Get out your wallet, and check to see whether you have a Real ID by looking for a star in the top right corner of the license. That’s the only major change.

Just like each state has different designs for their driver’s licenses, the exact implementation of Real ID’s star slightly varies depending on your state. Most of the designs feature a gold circle inlaid with a white star in the top right corner, but California has a gold bear surrounding the white star instead. And while many of the Real IDs feature a gold color, some states opted for a more muted color palette.