Real ID deadline for air travel pushed back again due to COVID-19 pandemic

The Department of Homeland Security will delay the deadline for air travelers to have a Real ID-compliant form of identification, pushing it back another 19 months, according to DHS officials.

The latest deadline was October 1, 2020, but the new deadline will be May 3, 2023, allowing air travelers more time to update their IDs amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. DHS officials tell CBS News that obstacles brought about by COVID-19 caused the most recent delay.  Over the past decade,  REAL ID enforcement has stalledafter states failed to comply with the security requirements for issuing the updated driver's licenses. But officials say this time, it's the COVID-19 pandemic that's at fault, preventing Americans from accessing state motor vehicle departments to retrieve the updated identification.