Travel News From Far Far Away Travels
March 28, 2025
Real ID Required to Fly in U.S. and ETA Needed to Visit the U.K.
The New U.S. Travel Regulation: You Need a Real I.D. to Fly
In the U.S., the implementation of Real ID begins after years of delays.
This means if you are flying domestically in the U.S. you must have an I.D. that complies with real ID or use a passport.
What’s a Real I.D? As of May 7, 2025 a Real I.D. is required to fly in the U.S. It is your driver’s license or state I.D. but with an important distinction—it must have a Star. REAL ID-compliant cards will have one of the following markings on the upper top portion of the card. If the card does not have one of these markings, it is not REAL ID-compliant and won’t be accepted as proof of identity to board commercial aircraft.
To learn more visit the official website.
Here are examples of what it looks like on your license or state i.d:
Visiting the U.K. from the U.S? There a New Travel Regulation
You need an ETA
It’s not really a visa, it’s an electronic travel authorization. You need one if you are visiting the U.K.
Note: if you are simply traveling through a U.K. airport, and not going through passport control, you don’t need this. But if you do plan to spend any time in the U.K. you need to do this before you leave home.
It will cost £16 per person. Children and infants need one too. If you do have a visa, you do not need this.
Here’s what you need to know and where you can apply.
Visiting Europe? You Don’t Need This-Yet
The European Union countries are planning to require an ETIAS (European Travel Information and Authorisation System) but implementation has been delayed until at least 2026. If you want to keep on on the news, this is the official site.
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