2017 - Be “Good to Go” This Year

2016 has zipped right by, I’m not sure I have even flipped my calendar from the month of March. Here we are reflecting on the year and wondering if we kept our resolutions when it’s time to re-resolve. As always,  I’m ready to assist if “to travel more” is on that list for 2017. It’s never too early to plan for an adventure, but it gets too late sooner than you think. I would like to remind travelers that 2017 could be the last year to be able to fly domestically (within the United States) with an Oklahoma driver’s license…

You read that right: As things are now, you will NOT be able to fly anywhere in 2018 unless you have a passport. Oklahoma is still one of the states that is not in compliance with the “REAL ID Act of 2005.” Beginning Jan. 22, 2018, travelers from nine states will no longer be able to travel with only their driver’s licenses when flying and clearing a TSA security checkpoint. 

Residents of Kentucky, Maine, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, and Washington are the last remaining states in the Union that will have to use alternate ID forms (passport, military ID, or permanent resident card) even for domestic flights. 

The IDs from these nine states do not meet the federal government’s minimum security standards. And, according to the REAL ID Act of 2005, federal agencies (like the TSA) are prohibited from “accepting for certain purposes driver’s licenses and identification cards from states not meeting the Act’s minimum standards.” 

In order for states to pass the government’s security standards, they must verify every ID applicant’s identity, put anti-counterfeit technology in the production of the card and conduct background checks on those who issue driver’s licenses.

This is a big deal. The Federal government claims it is necessary to keep you safe while traveling – a worthy goal. But the reticent states are concerned about the privacy rights of their citizens – also a worthy goal. Where will it end? As of this writing nobody knows. But travelers from the nine states can either get a passport or wait and see if their state’s laws change in time to comply with the TSA.

With travel plans coming up sooner-than-we-expected, emergencies that never happen at a convenient time, and for just good peace of mind, knowing that you can fly when you want/need to, we at Good to Go with Patti Beth group travel company suggest you go ahead and fill out the paperwork, get those photos, etc. to get your passport (valid for ten years) as soon as possible. You just never known when we might announce that “trip of a lifetime” and you will want to be “Good to Go!”
 

After all, it will be 2018 before we know it!

Happy New Year!