These posters are huge reminders that 2018 is not nearly as far away as it seems. On January 22, 2018, the enforcement for those nine states will go into effect, and by 2020, even more people will end up needing a passport, as confirmed by the official website of the TSA.

This means that if you’re going to take a flight and you have a state-issued ID from one of those nine states, you will need a passport to go anywhere. That includes going to the next state, across the country, or even to Walt Disney World, as all domestic travel is included in these new standards.

Yes, traveling by air seems to have been made more difficult by the federal government, just as it has been made more complicated because of the need to remove our shoes at security check-in. But this new move is considered another way to make traveling safer, and another example of the new normal.

Again, to be clear, The Real ID Act is going to maintain that the residents of the nine included states must have another form of ID, most typically a passport, other than their state-issued driver’s licenses for international and domestic flights.

If this applies to you, start applying for a passport now. 2018 isn’t too far away. And there will be a last-minute rush for sure.

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