Many changes have been made to driver’s licenses as the May 7, 2025 deadline approaches to get a Real ID that can be used for identification at airports for domestic air travel.
As the deadline gets closer, a sharp-eyed reader of NJ.com content noticed a potential glitch between his Real ID and boarding pass. The suffix in his last name was different on each of the two documents.
For those who have Roman numerals as a suffix, the Real ID has the Roman numeral appear as an ordinal number, so John Smith III becomes John Smith 3rd.
His question was simple: what happens when that traveler presents a boarding pass with John Smith III and a Real ID License with John Smith 3rd to a TSA officer who’s checking documents? The reader’s concern is that a mismatch could prevent him from flying domestically.
We asked the TSA.
Name anomalies on ID credentials and data inaccuracies on boarding passes are routinely resolved by the many security procedures involved in TSA’s ID verification process, and by TSA security officers who check documents at the airport, officials said.
If the Real ID says John Jones III and boarding pass says John Jones 3rd, the machine an officer uses to check documents will show a partial match where the security officer would make the determination, said Dave Fitz, a TSA spokesperson.
“TSOs (security officers) are able to make a determination given the documents provided by the airline passenger on whether additional ID verification steps are required,” he said.
The TSA also spells out what is supposed to happen with suffixes on its webpage aboutacceptable forms of identification.
“TSA accepts variations on suffixes on boarding passes and ID. Suffixes are not required on boarding passes,” according to that guidance. “If there is a suffix on the boarding pass, and there is not one on the ID or vice versa, that is considered an acceptable variation.”
While the deadline to obtain a Real ID has been extended three times by Homeland Security, officials caution travelers not to procrastinate in anticipation of another extension because one is unlikely to come four years after the COVID-19 pandemic that slowed the process.
New Jersey’s Motor Vehicle Commission issues Real ID licenses at agencies and an appointment is required for the in-person transaction. That’s because obtaining a Real ID requires the presentation of documents to prove identify, residency and citizenship. The MVC has an online document selector to help customers select the correct documents.
If drivers chose not to get a Real ID, they can still use a passport to prove their identity for domestic air travel. Travelers can visit REALID.nj.gov to learn more about Real ID and decide if they need one, MVC officials said.
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Larry Higgs may be reached at lhiggs@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on X @CommutingLarry
