What Happens If Your License Is REAL ID And Expires Before Vacation?

(Mix 93-1)  So, here I am with a REAL ID compliant driver's license that is about to expire this week on my birthday and a vacation coming up in a month.

At the moment, I can clear TSA and board the plane because I have that gold circle with the star, but once my license expires and I'm issued a temporary license, can I still board the plane is my biggest question.

I made an appointment through the Texas Department of Public Safety(TXDPS) website to renew my license last week, but when I showed up without my birth certificate, I was denied, and now I have to wait another two weeks for a new appointment. If the state had been clearer on the renewal instructions, I would have been prepared and complied with their requirements.

The state refers to a birth certificate in the list of approved documents on the license renewal form I received, as a US Citizenship Certificate or Certificate of Naturalization with an identifiable photo. Well, I've never heard of either one of them and figured a certificate of naturalization dealt with immigration. Seeing how I've had a Texas license since I was 16, they should know I'm a citizen!

READ MORE --> Texas, Are You Real ID Compliant And Ready To Fly After May 7th?

Turns out that the state doesn't have a birth certificate on file for me, so they can't certify me with a REAL ID until they have it in their computer system, so how then did I get the star in the first place? It's frustrating dealing with the state.

Well, I learned, and I will be returning with my certificate of naturalization on June 4th to renew my license in Henderson next time, and not in Tyler.

Now my other dilemma,

Can I get through TSA with a temporary license?

According to the TSA website, a temporary driver's license is not an acceptable form of identification. Just my luck. Now I'm going to have to go through an additional screening process to pass through TSA to board the plane for my summer vacation. This means more time at the airport.

I discovered this list of acceptable forms of identification, if not REAL ID compliant, on the TSA website. The following are acceptable:

• State-issued Enhanced Driver's License (EDL) or Enhanced ID (EID)
• U.S. passport
• U.S. passport card
• DHS trusted traveler cards (Global Entry, NEXUS, SENTRI, FAST)
• U.S. Department of Defense ID, including IDs issued to dependents
• Permanent resident card
• Border crossing card
• An acceptable photo ID issued by a federally recognized Tribal Nation/Indian Tribe, including Enhanced Tribal Cards (ETCs)
• HSPD-12 PIV card
• Foreign government-issued passport
• Canadian provincial driver's license or Indian and Northern Affairs Canada card
• Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC)
• U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Employment Authorization Card (I-766)
• U.S. Merchant Mariner Credential
• Veteran Health Identification Card (VHIC)

After looking over the TSA's website, I believe I may have discovered my golden ticket, though. According to the TSA website:

Expired ID
TSA currently accepts expired ID up to two years after expiration, for the above listed forms of identification.

Now, when I renew my license, I hope the state doesn't make me surrender my current license, which is currently REAL ID compliant, and it would appear as if my life could be much easier when dealing with TSA.

Get our free mobile app

However, when I go to the airport and the TSA line, I'll still take my birth certificate - or my certificate of naturalization - along with my social security card, a water bill, an earnings statement from my employer, a business card, and my wife to a TSA representative and hope they can confirm who I am. Maybe I'll just show them my author page from the website for an added measure!

Wish me luck with both the Texas DPS next week and TSA!

Now, if you have any connection to the Texas DPS office in Tyler and can get me in sooner than Thursday, I'd appreciate it; otherwise, I will admit it, I'll be driving on an expired license.