Real ID strikes again! (bad barcodes)

[Wao nahele wahine]

Sometime with the last year or so I was going through security at CLT and the scanner rejected my Hawaii ID.  The TSA agent and their supervisor looked at my Hawaii ID and could tell it was valid.  They told me that they had recently had a software update and that ID'S from several states were being rejected.

I fly frequently for work, and that is the only issue I have had. My Hawaii ID is due for renewal this year.

[leilanidude]

If their scanner hadn't worked that last time, and I had no alternate ID, I would just have to miss my flight?
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No. there are protocols for even people with no ID to fly. It might take you an hour extra to get through the vetting, but you will get on. Tourists in Hawaii lose their ID's every day and manage to fly home.

[BlackAkita]

Here is how the process works:

• The "One Card" Rule: Federal law mandates that you can only hold one REAL ID compliant credential at a time.
  

• State-to-State System: States participate in a database system that electronically checks if an applicant holds a driver's license or ID card in another jurisdiction. If you apply for a new ID in a different state, the old one will be automatically invalidated.
  

• Moving Procedures: If you establish residency in a new state, you will need to apply for a new license or ID there, providing required documents such as proof of residency and your Social Security Number.
  

• Driver's License vs. ID Card: You also cannot hold a standard driver's license and a separate state ID card simultaneously within the same state; you must choose one or the other.
  

To clarify some of the rules listed above, the "One Card" Rule does not preclude holding a U.S. Passport Card that is Real-ID compliant and a state driver's license that is Real-ID compliant, afaik.

Certain states do not allow a non-resident to register a car in that state. This forces the owner to swap out his/her HI driver license for a license in the other state. On the flip side, you do not have to be a Hawaii legal resident to register a car here, but you do have to provide an address in HI to register a car here. I have not researched whether the car's title has to be established in HI. The issue of "legal residence" can be thorny. When you decide it is necessary to change your residence to the "other state" for car registration in that other state, you may not be allowed to vote in HI anymore. In fact, HI "may" charge you with a felony for actionable behavior for certain actions while in this limbo state. I defer to our in-house Punaweb legal counsel on this matter.

I have a side question about where a HI resident can test his so-called Real-ID compliant driver's license. Can you enter a Federal building, e.g., the one on Punchbowl in Oahu, or a similar one on Big Island, to perform the test?

[leilanidude]

the "One Card" Rule does not preclude holding a U.S. Passport Card that is Real-ID compliant and a state driver's license that is Real-ID compliant, afaik.
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Federal ID vs state license and state ID is the difference. A state's license and a state's ID has an address listed whereas the US Passport does not - unless you consider USA as the address.

[terracore]

I'm surprised Hawaii doesn't offer Enhanced ID. Move to a state that has them, I guess.

TSA also accepts TWIC, although the last couple of times I did that they mumbled something about "only military TWIC".

That's weird because there is no such thing as a military TWIC.  TSA is "supposed" to accept TWIC, though their scanners might give them grief.  I wouldn't suggest a TWIC just for airline travel because it's about $125, a PITA to get (need to physically go to a TWIC office which may involve travel), and only good for 5 years.  I remember some fishing town in Alaska where most of the workers needed a TWIC and the nearest office was 1,000 miles away, open 3 days a week, and one couldn't fly in and back on the same day, so the actual cost was thousands of dollars.  When congress created the program it included a requirement that the TWIC program be entirely self-funded through application fees.  I don't know if that's changed over the years.

The official list is here:

https://www.tsa.gov/travel/security-scre...tification  

What's not really clear on the list is that digital IDs are not accepted at every airport:

Adult passengers 18 and older must show valid identification at the airport checkpoint in order to travel.

 
The list of acceptable IDs is subject to change without notice. TSA strongly encourages you check this list again before traveling, so you do not arrive at the airport without acceptable ID.

• State-issued REAL ID-compliant driver's licenses or identification cards
  
  • If you are not sure if your ID complies with REAL ID, check with your state department of motor vehicles (or equivalent).
    
  • A temporary driver’s license is not an acceptable form of identification.
    
• State-issued Enhanced Driver's License (EDL) or Enhanced Identification Card (EID)
  
• Mobile Driver's Licenses (mDLs): TSA accepts certain mDLs issued by states that have been approved for Federal use.
  
  • The mDL must be based on a REAL ID, EDL, or EID.
    
  • Approved states are listed at Participating States and Eligible Digital IDs | Transportation Security Administration
    
• 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)
  
  

TSA is also accepting the following Digital Identification as a part of our ongoing testing efforts to strengthen identity security:

• Apple Digital ID
  
• Clear ID
  
• Google ID pass
   
  

REAL ID
As of May 7, 2025, state-issued driver’s licenses and IDs that are not REAL ID compliant are no longer accepted as valid forms of identification at airports. 
Passengers should either travel with an acceptable alternative form of ID, like a passport, or enroll for a state-issued REAL ID through their state DMV offices.
No Real ID or Acceptable ID
Starting February 1, 2026, if you are unable to provide the required acceptable form of ID at a TSA checkpoint, you will have the option to pay a $45 fee to use TSA ConfirmID. TSA will then attempt to verify your identity so you can begin the airport security screening process. 
Don’t have an acceptable ID listed on this page? Visit our TSA ConfirmID page and pay the $45 fee before heading to the airport.
Expired ID
TSA currently accepts expired ID up to two years after expiration, for the above listed forms of identification.
Children
TSA does not require children under 18 to provide identification when traveling within the United States. However, unaccompanied minors who are eligible for TSA PreCheck must show an acceptable ID to receive expedited screening. Contact the airline for questions regarding their specific ID requirements for travelers under 18.
Names With Suffixes
TSA accepts variations on suffixes on boarding passes and ID. Suffixes are not required on boarding passes. If there is a suffix on the boarding pass, and there is not one on the ID or vice versa, that is considered an acceptable variation.
 
If your identity cannot be verified, you will not be allowed to enter the screening checkpoint.

[HiloJulie]

I defer to our in-house Punaweb legal counsel on this matter.

I would suggest for more bang for your buck, you simply use a resource such as "The Google" (or other such similar internet search-based engines) and you would very easily find that virtually everything you said above, is untrue.

[kalakoa]

I wouldn't suggest a TWIC just for airline travel because it's about $125

I got mine just to see what would happen. There's an office in Hilo, so it wasn't inconvenient at all.

[Durian Fiend]

I have a side question about where a HI resident can test his so-called Real-ID compliant driver's license. Can you enter a Federal building, e.g., the one on Punchbowl in Oahu, or a similar one on Big Island, to perform the test?

I would take it to your nearest airport.  Easy enough to walk up to Hilo TSA for them to test it.

BTW, the digital ID's won't work at our airports on da Big Island.

[randomq]

I've never had a problem in Hilo or Kona airports.

[Obie]

I have never once had a problem going through security at any of the airports I have traveled through.
I have however been told that the bar code doesn't work when buying liquor and recreational MJ.
I had one of the 1st compliant licenses but they left the gold star off so I had to get a new one. I just got a new license last year because it expired. Not looking forward to going through the process again but now I need to get my passport renewed.