REAL ID is here: Most Colorado drivers have one, but will new requirements jam up DIA security?

It’s finally time. Two decades after becoming law — and following years of delays — travelers headed to Denver International Airport can expect to need a REAL ID.

Most Coloradans are already prepared for the new federal security requirement, adopted in the wake of 9/11 and effective Wednesday, after state officials implemented the change to driver’s licenses at the end of 2012.

U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem told a congressional panel Tuesday that 81% of American travelers already have IDs that comply with the REAL ID requirements, which are designed to create a more secure form of identification.

In Colorado, that number is closer to 96%, Colorado Department of Motor Vehicles spokeswoman Jennifer Giambi said Tuesday.

Giambi said that, as of April 2025, more than 4.6 million of the 4.9 million active driver’s licenses and permits issued by the Colorado DMV were REAL ID compliant.

It’s unknown how many Colorado residents don’t have licenses and how many who moved here recently are holding onto old licenses from other states. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, there were roughly 4.9 million people living in Colorado in 2023 who were at least 15 years old and eligible for a state license or permit. That number has likely grown.

REAL IDs in Colorado are marked with a star in the upper right corner. If they were issued before 2020, the star was gold. IDs issued after 2020 have a black star.

“In Colorado, everyone who is eligible has received a REAL ID with appropriate proof since 2013,” Giambi said. “So, another way to look at this is that 100% of those eligible receive a REAL ID — there is no choice.”

Just over 210,000 Colorado residents have driver’s licenses or permits that aren’t REAL ID compliant. However, Giambi said those people aren’t eligible for a REAL ID.

Under the Colorado Roads and Community Safety Act, undocumented Colorado residents or people who are “temporarily lawfully present” in the state can obtain a standard driver’s license or ID card without a Social Security number.

Standard licenses are marked with a black banner and “cannot be used for federal purposes like flying, voting or federal public benefits,” Giambi said.

Federal officials originally said any travelers without a REAL ID or other form of identification approved by the Transportation Security Administration — such as a passport — would not be able to fly domestically starting Wednesday, but Noem said they will be able to — it’ll just come with extra steps.

Passengers without a REAL ID may be diverted to a different line or go through extra security, “but people will be allowed to fly,” she said. “We will make sure it’s as seamless as possible.”

DIA officials declined to answer questions Wednesday about whether TSA will create separate lines for people without REAL IDs, considering the high amount of out-of-state travelers passing through Denver, or if they anticipate increased wait times during the beginning of the REAL ID implementation.

Besides being a requirement to fly, REAL IDs are also needed to access certain federal buildings and facilities.

When the REAL ID Act was signed into law in 2005, it enacted a recommendation from the 9/11 Commission that the government set higher security standards and require people to provide more proof of their identity when getting state-issued driver’s licenses and IDs.