Tennessee REAL ID: What You Need to Know
After May 7, 2025, your Tennessee driver’s license must be REAL ID-compliant if you want to use it to board domestic flights.
Written by Sara Brody
Reviewed by Jessica Barrett
When the 2005 REAL ID Act comes into full effect on May 7, 2025, you’ll only be able to use your
Tennessee driver’s license
to board a domestic flight if it complies with the standards.What is REAL ID?
After 9/11, a commission gathered to make recommendations for improving national security. One outcome of this was the REAL ID Act, passed by Congress in 2005, which established new standards for ID documents—including driver’s licenses. Following a slow rollout, the act is set to be enforced in 2023.
Who needs a REAL ID?
- Enter a nuclear power plant
- Gain access to some federal facilities
- Board federally regulated commercial aircraft (including domestic flights)
The first two are probably not applicable to your day-to-day life, unless you work at a federal facility or just like to hang around your local nuclear power plant. But if you can see yourself taking a domestic flight in the future, you’ll want to upgrade your Tennessee driver’s license to a REAL ID-compliant license so you can use it to get through TSA checkpoints—in 2023 and beyond.
If you don’t get a REAL ID-compliant license by the deadline, don’t despair. You can still use other identification documents to board domestic flights. A full list is available on the
TSA website
. Key Takeaway The REAL ID Act, which sets new standards for identification documents, is scheduled to take effect in 2023.
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How to get a Tennessee REAL ID
To get a REAL ID in Tennessee, just follow these three simple steps:
- Review the Tennessee DMV’sdocument checklistto gather the paperwork, including proof of identity and two proofs of Tennessee residency, that you’ll need for your REAL ID.
- Schedule anin-person appointmentat a full-service Driver Service Center, with the option to visit an Express Services Center in Nashville or Memphis if you already have a valid Tennessee driver’s license or ID.
If you are due to
renew your license
at the time you upgrade to REAL ID, you will be charged the same fee as an ordinary renewal, $28. However, if you are not within your renewal period and wish to obtain a REAL ID-compliant license anyway, you will be charged an additional duplicate fee of $8.How to save money on car insurance in Tennessee
A REAL ID-compliant Tennessee license is sure to come in handy when you’re boarding your next domestic flight, but your car can get you to most places in the country too. All you need is willpower, love of the road, and—of course—the right insurance!
Luckily,
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Reviewed on 5/28/2023
Do I need a REAL ID?
You can use the
Department of Homeland Security’s website
to check whether you need a REAL ID. If you want to use your driver’s license to board domestic flights after May 3, 2023, you’ll need to have a REAL ID-compliant license.
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