US pushes REAL ID travel deadline to May 2023: What to know Travelers will need compliant license or passport to board planes Published: Tags: Michigan Enhanced Driver's License (Secretary of State's Office) If you’re looking to travel anywhere in the next few years, you’re going to need a REAL ID-compliant license or passport -- but Americans have extra time to meet the deadline. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is extending the REAL ID full enforcement date by 19 months, from October 1, 2021 to May 3, 2023, due to circumstances resulting from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic....