REAL ID at the airport
TSA began enforcing REAL ID on May 7, 2025. If your license isn't REAL ID-compliant, you can use another accepted ID, such as a U.S. passport or passport card, a U.S. military ID, a state Enhanced Driver's License, or a federally recognized tribal photo ID. Interim paper licenses aren't accepted. See TSA's full list of accepted IDs.
TSA doesn't require children under 18 to show ID when traveling with a companion within the U.S.
REAL ID isn't a cruise document
A REAL ID license proves who you are at the airport. It doesn't prove citizenship, so on its own it won't get you on a cruise ship. See passport or birth certificate for what the cruise line needs.
A passport book covers both. TSA accepts it, and it's the document cruise lines recommend most.
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Last checked October 9, 2026. Rules and offers change, so confirm with the official source before you travel.