Planning your spring and summer vacations? You may want to prepare your documents. In six months, the deadline for REAL IDs it will hit and without one, you won’t be able to get on a plane.

Starting May 7, 2025, every traveler over the age of 18 must present a Driving license according to REAL ID or identity card (or a valid passport or passport card) to board a commercial aircraft in the United States. If you don’t have one, you won’t go through the TSA checkpoint.

The good news is that you probably already have one. If you received a new or renewed Florida driver’s license or ID since January 2010, you’re all set.

Here’s what you need to know.

What is REAL ID?

In some states it was easier to get a driver’s license than in others. After the 9/11 Commission recommended that the federal government establish identification standards such as driver’s licenses, Congress passed Real identification document in 2005. The Act established minimum security standards for obtaining a license anywhere in the country and prohibited some federal agencies from accepting anything less.

The Real ID Act went into effect nationwide on May 11, 2008. Florida began issuing REAL ID-compliant credentials after January 4, 2010.

REAL ID-compliant credentials are already required to enter checkpoints at federal facilities, military facilities and nuclear power plants.

How can I tell if I have a REAL ID in Florida?

Check your driver’s license or state-issued ID. If it has a gold star in the upper right, it is REAL ID compatible.

How do I get a REAL ID in Florida?

If you do not already have a REAL ID card, or your existing ID is not REAL ID compatible and you are not ready to renew before May 7, 2025, or if your name has changed since the last time you received a card, you will you need to make an appointment at a local driver’s license service center or tax collection office to get a new card. Locations can be found Here.

A Class E license can be renewed up to 18 months before the card’s expiry date.

How much does a REAL ID cost in Florida?

The fee for an initial Florida Class E license (including a learner’s permit) is $48 and a commercial driver’s license (Class A) is $75. The fee for an ID card is $25. Most local toll collection offices also charge a $6.25 service fee.

What do I need to get a REAL Florida ID?

You will need to bring original copies of primary documents to prove your identity, legal residence, social security status and date of birth. You can find List of accepted documents here.

NOTE: Birth certificates must be issued by a county health department or the CDC Bureau of Vital Statistics. Hospital birth certificates are not considered a certified document and will not be accepted.

There are different lists of documents for immigrants, non-immigrantsand Canadian wanting a REAL ID.

How many Floridians already have a REAL ID?

By December 2023, the Florida REAL ID compliance rate was “over 98 percent,” according to FDHSMV Director of Communications Molly Best.

When will REAL ID be implemented?

The Department of Homeland Security began enforcing REAL ID requirements in semi-restricted areas at federal facilities, nuclear power plants, and military installations by October 2015.

Beginning May 7, 2025, a REAL ID or valid passport or passport card will be required for any US resident adult to board a federally regulated commercial aircraft. Originally, the deadline was May 3, 2023, but during the COVID-19 pandemic, the deadline was extended two years before.

Has Florida changed driver’s license numbers in 2024?

For many years, the 13 numbers on the driver’s license encoded personal details such as name, year of birth and gender. However, there has been concern that this could lead to identity theft if someone else could deduce your DL number based on your personal information.

A new status passed by the Florida Legislature this year to improve security and prevent fraud, now requires that all distinctive numbers assigned to a driver’s license or ID card must include at least four randomly generated numbers, according to Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (FLHSMV).

It entered into force on 31 July.

Contributing: Amaris Encinas, USA TODAY

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: REAL ID deadline 6 months away. What to know in Florida