Missourians can fly with current IDs for up to 1 more year

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Missouri has received a temporary federal waiver that will allow state residents to board airplanes and enter federal installations using their current driver's licenses and identification cards.

The Missouri Department of Revenue announced Tuesday the state will have until at least October 2018 to comply with a federal REAL ID law. Without the waiver, Missourians without a federally approved identification might have been unable to board airplanes beginning in January.

After fighting the federal law since 2005, Missouri lawmakers approved a plan this spring to offer the enhanced license, although residents can choose not to use them.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported the state hopes to have the new cards available in the next 18 months. Revenue spokeswoman Anne Marie Moy said Missouri will apply for another waiver next year.

Information from: St. Louis Post-Dispatch, http://www.stltoday.com