If you don’t have a gold star on your license, you might be grounded

COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – A little gold star on a driver’s license is causing a lot of conversation and confusion.

Back in May of 2005, the Real ID Act was signed into law making a little star, or a version of it, required for all U.S. driver’s licenses.

Nearly 15 years later, most states in compliance.

“The act was passed primarily to ensure that people that are getting access to military facilities or on airplanes actually are who they say they are that their ID is real and reliable,” said Golden Triangle Regional Airport Executive Director Mike Hainsey.

You’re probably like millions of other Americans. You don’t have the star on your license.

But starting in October 2020, if you don’t have a “Real ID” you may not be able to use your driver’s license to fly commercially or access a federal building.

“Fortunately, Mississippi was one of the first to be compliant to the Real ID Act and so when you renew you start seeing that star show up,” said Hainsey.

This poses a problem for college students.

“A lot of our students are not from Mississippi, they have driver licenses from all over the country or all over the world and if their state doesn’t meet the act then they are not gonna be able to use that ID to get onto an airplane. That can be very disruptive when they’re trying to go travel,” said Hainsey.

The Real ID isn’t your only option for identification. Passports or military ID’s are just some of the forms of identification TSA accepts.

If your license expires before October 2020, the Mississippi Department of Public Safety said you will automatically receive your new credential.

If your license expires after that date, you can go to your local DMV to get a duplicate with the star.