Starting this month, your state ID or driver’s license needs a gold star to be valid for domestic flights and for access to certain federal buildings and military bases.
The Real ID Act, passed by Congress in 2005 as a security measure, standardizes the documents that can serve as acceptable identification. Honolulu County started rolling out Real IDs in 2018, ahead of the federal compliance deadline of May 7, 2025.
To qualify for a Real ID, you must provide:
- Valid proof of your name, date of birth and legal presence (such as a birth or naturalization certificate)
- Two documents showing Hawai‘i as your principal address (such as vehicle registration or utility bill, less than 2 months old)
- Proof of name change if any of your documents don’t match (for instance, if your married name is different from what’s on your birth certificate)
IDs without the star are still valid identification; they just can’t be used for the purposes mentioned above. You can use your passport to board flights…