Which U.S. states currently have extensions or waivers from REAL ID enforcement as of November 2025?
Executive summary
As of the documents in the provided reporting, DHS and TSA set May 7, 2025 as the card‑based REAL ID enforcement start date but also created tools that allow agencies to phase enforcement or delay full refusal of noncompliant IDs through May 5, 2027 (DHS rule and TSA actions) [1] [2]. No single source in the set lists a current, authoritative roster of states holding active REAL ID “extensions” or waivers as of November 2025; available sources instead describe federal enforcement timing and state compliance levels, not a contemporaneous list of states with extensions [1] [3] [4].
1. What the federal government announced about timing — a two‑step approach
DHS maintained the May 7, 2025 compliance deadline but published a rule explicitly permitting federal agencies to use a phased enforcement approach for up to two years—effectively allowing agencies to warn or otherwise ease the transition while full card‑based enforcement can be rolled out through May 5, 2027 [1]. TSA reiterated that travelers should obtain REAL ID but published rules and a final rule that give agencies flexibility to implement phased enforcement and to coordinate publicly [2] [1].
2. Why reporters said enforcement might slip to 2027
Independent reporting and analysis (Forbes, Slate) describes a practical delay: TSA proposed or signaled holding off full, uniform enforcement until 2027 because only a portion of state IDs were REAL ID‑compliant and DHS/TSA predicted uneven readiness. These outlets report the practical effect that enforcement may be postponed even as the May 2025 deadline remains in regulation [3] [5].
3. What counts as an “extension” or a waiver in these sources
The sources distinguish two concepts: (A) state‑level certification/compliance or formal extensions historically granted by DHS, and (B) federal agencies’ ability to phase enforcement. The Federal Register and TSA materials emphasize that DHS chose phased enforcement authority rather than further extending the statutory deadline for all purposes, and that agencies can tailor enforcement [1] [2]. The archive of DHS “current status” pages referenced older extension language but not a November 2025 snapshot of which jurisdictions still had formal extensions [6].
4. State compliance and practical reality — numbers, not names
Reporting shows many states had made progress but that national compliance percentages lagged the target: one report said about 56% of IDs were compliant as of a 2024 reference point and DHS projected roughly 70% by May 2025—figures used to justify phased enforcement [3] [7]. Other outlets noted states varying widely in compliance rates and that several states continued to offer alternative acceptable credentials [8] [9]. None of the provided sources, however, supplies a verified list of states holding active REAL ID extensions or waivers in November 2025.
5. What travelers actually needed to know in late 2025
TSA and state DMVs urged travelers to obtain REAL ID or carry an alternate acceptable federal document like a passport because TSA’s approach included additional screening for noncompliant IDs and agencies could choose to enforce card requirements immediately [2] [10]. State DMV pages (exemplified by Missouri and Colorado) explained transition rules for legacy cards and urged renewals before enforcement milestones, but these are state‑specific operational notes rather than DHS‑issued extension lists [11] [12].
6. Conflicting narratives and reporting limits
Federal rulemaking documents present a policy of maintaining the statutory deadline while enabling phased enforcement [1]. Journalists and analysts reported that TSA’s latitude and proposals amount to a practical delay to 2027 in many places [3] [5]. These are competing framings: DHS/TSA formal rule versus media interpretation of how enforcement will play out. The provided materials do not reconcile those frames into an authoritative, jurisdiction‑by‑jurisdiction status list [1] [3].
7. Conclusion and what I could not find in the sources
Available sources show federal rules permitting phased enforcement through May 5, 2027 and describe uneven state compliance, but none of the provided documents lists which U.S. states "currently have extensions or waivers" as of November 2025. A contemporaneous DHS roster of state extensions or a November‑2025 DHS status page is not found in the current reporting [1] [6]. If you want a definitive list, the next step is to check DHS’s live “Current Status of States/Territories” page or each state DMV’s REAL ID page for November 2025 updates; those specific, up‑to‑date links were not included among the provided sources [6] [11].