Airline travel to require Star Card by 2020
By Oct. 1, 2020, anyone who travels by commercial airline or needs to enter federal facilities will face stricter guidelines for proof of identification in an effort to create more uniform standards for credentials.
Available now, the Star Card is an Idaho driver license or identification card with an added gold star in the upper right-hand corner noting compliance with the national REAL ID security standards.
Passed by Congress in 2005, the REAL ID Act requires uniform standards for credentials, such as driver’s licenses and ID cards.
Originally, national compliance for state governments to enact the REAL ID Act was 2008, but several Western states, including Idaho, protested this legislation and the deadline was pushed back to 2020. Blaine County and the rest of Idaho began issuing Star Cards in January of 2018.
The REAL ID Act was part of the 9/11 Commission’s recommendation to prevent future acts of terrorism as were seen that day by preventing terrorists from obtaining state-issued identification documents.
The new identification process is aimed at deterring identity theft and fraud as well by requiring states meet certain standards for producing and issuing driver’s licenses and ID cards as well as the documentation standards for applicants. The new standards will also help to streamline identity checking for TSA at airports and for security personnel at federal facilities.
While a Star Card is not mandatory, after Oct. 1, 2020, anyone who flies domestically will most likely find it an inconvenience to no longer be able to use a state-issued driver’s license as a form of ID. Passports and several other forms of documentation will still be acceptable. Anyone working in a federal facility will also no longer be able to use their driver’s license unless it has become a Star Card through the proper verification standards.
“It’s really a choice, not a requirement,” said Ben Goodrich, DMV specialist at the Blaine County Department of Motor Vehicles. “If you have a passport or passport card, either will work for flying domestically. It’s really more of a convenience thing.”
Goodrich reported that many have been issued in Blaine County but they are not overtly advertising the Star Card other than providing information on it on their website and also directing people to the Idaho Transportation Department (ITD) website.
Jennifer Gonzalez, spokesperson for the ITD, said that about 50,000—or 18 percent—of Idahoans have gotten the Star Card so far.
With the 2020 deadline approaching, Gonzalez said a new campaign would be launching this year to advertise the Star Card on social media, information at various airports and information in the news.
“You’re going to be seeing a much bigger push in January advertising what the Star Card is and to use our website, ‘Add the Star Tool’; it personalizes what you need for every person’s Star Card,” said Gonzalez.
The REAL ID Act also will not invalidate Idaho driver’s licenses or ID cards and won’t affect using them for regular purposes. Even after Oct. 1, 2020, one can continue to get an Idaho driver’s license or ID card without the star.
There has been some speculation that the Star Card and all other state-issued forms of the REAL ID Act are being used to create a national database of driver and identification information.
According to the Idaho Department of Transportation’s website, the information given to the department is held by the Idaho Division of Motor Vehicles and not entered into a national database. There is also no electronic chip or device in any form of ID, meaning that one’s identification cannot be used to track any movements, despite speculation to the contrary.
To obtain an ID card or driver’s license with the star, you will need proof of identity and date of birth, your Social Security card, and two documents that include your name and current proof of Idaho residency.