WYOMING — The Wyoming Department of Transportation (WYDOT) is reminding residents and motorists to check to see if they have a valid, federally compliant Wyoming driver’s license.
WYDOT said via Facebook that all driver’s licenses and identification cards issued by Driver Services are Real ID compliant. Since May 7, all U.S. citizens need a Real ID compliant driver license or identification card, passport or other documentation approved by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to board commercial airplanes.
Real ID credentials have a star in the right-hand corner. In 2019, a black star replaced the gold star on Wyoming credentials, but they still meet Real ID requirements.
“Residents who are wondering if they have Real ID compliant licenses just need to check the top right corner and to see if they have that star,” WYDOT Driver Services Program Manager Misty Dobson said in a statement. “We’ve been issuing the Real ID compliant licenses for a while now so most everyone should have them.”
According to WYDOT, the Real ID Act is a 2005 Federal Act that established stricter security standards and identification requirements for driver’s licenses and identification cards.
The deadline for states to comply is May 7, 2025. However, the Wyoming Legislature directed WYDOT to meet Real ID requirements with all issued credentials starting in 2011, making Wyoming among the first states to reach Real ID readiness.
Some ID cards issued before Jan. 1, 2010, could still be in circulation, and individuals who have those ID cards are encouraged to renew them at a local Driver Services office to ensure Real ID compliance, per WYDOT.
A Real ID compliant credential or another acceptable form of identification, like a U.S. passport, will be required to gain access to certain federal facilities or board domestic commercial flights starting May 7. For information on alternative forms of identification that are accepted by the Transportation Security Administration, visit TSA’s website or the Department of Homeland Security website.
