SALT LAKE CITY — Utahns will soon have to get new driver licenses to bring the state into compliance with federal law.
In the future, all Utah driver licenses will have a gold star printed on them, to allow people to use the state-issued identification to get through airport security.
Utah lawmakers passed a bill in Monday’s special session to comply with the Real ID Act. They voted against it back in 2010.
The Department of Homeland Security requires all licenses to include the gold star by October 2020.
It shows officials have reviewed birth certificates or passports to ensure license holders are U.S. citizens.
The Deseret News reports that if the deadline came and went without the change, Utahns would no longer be able to use their licenses to board planes or in other instances where a federally recognized ID is required. They would have to rely on passports instead, which not all residents possess.
The Real ID Act established some standards for licenses and identification issued by states that are acceptable for access to federal facilities, including airports, nuclear power plants and other locations.