LOUISIANA - The Louisiana Office of Motor Vehicles and TSA held a press conference at the Baton Rouge airport on the upcoming deadline for residents to sign up for their REAL identification card. 

Sari Koshetz, a spokesperson for TSA, says that the REAL ID is to help with airport safety. 

"It is coordinated effort across the country to make sure your driver's license is authentic and you are who you say said you were when you are getting your license," Koshetz said.

The deadline is currently set for May 7, 2025, and residents are able to use the new form of identification at no cost, and without having to worry about renewal. The Louisiana Office of Motor Vehicles Commissioner Dan Casey says getting your Real ID is just as easy as getting your state ID. 

"The difference between getting a regular ID and opting for the REAL ID we maintain and copy into our system is the presented documents: the birth certificate, the passports, and two proofs of address," Casey said.

Although with no charge for the REAL ID, Louisiana residents are still behind the registrations.

"[For] Louisiana, we issued 3.9 million IDs and driver licenses. Of that, 26% are REAL ID," Casey said.

While the TSA will still accept passports and passport cards without the new ID, you could still have trouble traveling without it.

"You may be delayed at the site, you may have to go to the airport super early to prove who you are. Eventually, you are going to be turned away and miss the flight with your family," Casey said. 

The deadline for all Louisiana residents is May 7, 2025.