REAL ID at O'Hare and Midway: What You Need to Fly

How to Check If Your License Is Compliant

This takes about five seconds. Look at the upper portion of your driver's license or state ID — typically the upper right corner — for a star symbol, usually gold or black depending on your state. That star is the universal marker of REAL ID compliance.

If your card says "Federal Limits Apply" or "Not for Federal Identification," it is not compliant and won't work on its own at a TSA checkpoint. A handful of states (Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Vermont, and Washington) issue enhanced licenses marked with a U.S. flag instead — those are also accepted, and additionally work for land and sea crossings to Canada and Mexico.

If the design on your card is ambiguous, don't guess. Check with your state's motor vehicle agency rather than relying on appearance alone.

What Else TSA Accepts Besides a REAL ID

A REAL ID license isn't the only path through the checkpoint. TSA also accepts:

• A valid U.S. passport or passport card — the most common alternative, and worth carrying as a backup if your REAL ID is still in process
• DHS Trusted Traveler cards — Global Entry, NEXUS, or SENTRI
• U.S. military ID
• Permanent resident card
• Several other federal credentials — TSA notes the accepted list can change, so verify at tsa.gov close to your travel date

If you already have a passport, you don't strictly need a REAL ID to fly domestically. Plenty of travelers simply carry their passport instead.

What Happens If You Show Up Without One

This is where the rules got stricter in 2026. Travelers arriving at a checkpoint without a compliant ID now go through TSA ConfirmID — a biometric or biographic identity verification process — and pay a $45 fee. A few things worth knowing about it:

• It's not a guaranteed workaround. If verification fails, you don't fly, and the fee isn't refunded.
• It takes real time. Secondary identity screening can add 30 minutes or more, on top of a normal security line.
• Any clearance granted is temporary, not a permanent substitute for getting a compliant ID.

The practical takeaway: this is not a problem to solve on travel day. It's a problem to solve weeks earlier at the DMV.

Who This Doesn't Apply To

• Travelers under 18 flying domestically don't need to present ID themselves — only the accompanying adult needs acceptable identification.
• International travelers are covered by their passports, which are accepted at every checkpoint. REAL ID is a domestic-flight and federal-facility requirement, not an international one.
• International flights still require a valid passport regardless of whether you hold a REAL ID. A REAL ID does not replace a passport.

Planning Your Trip Around It

A few practical habits:

• Check your ID when you book your flight, not the night before. If you need to apply for a REAL ID, you'll need documents like a birth certificate, Social Security card, and proof of address, and appointment availability at the DMV varies.
• Carry a passport as backup if your REAL ID application is still pending.
• If you're traveling without a compliant ID and can't avoid it, build in significantly more time at the airport than our usual arrival guidance — 30+ minutes of extra screening is realistic, and that's on top of a normal security wait.
• For families, check every adult's ID, not just the person who booked the trip.

Our standard timing guidance still applies on top of this: arrive about 2 hours before boarding for domestic flights and about 3 hours for international departures. If your ID situation is uncertain, add meaningfully more.