New federal identification rules under the Real ID Act go into effect in 2016. Alaska’s driver’s licenses have been deemed non-compliant with those rules but the state has been granted an extension.
The U.S. Department of Security gave the last frontier until October 10, 2016 to become compliant since the Alaska Department of Administration says a state law prohibits state agencies from spending money solely to comply with federal law.
The federal Real ID law imposes tougher requirements for proof of legal U.S. residency in order to get state driver’s licenses.
Those new federal standards would be required for licenses to be valid for federal purposes at airports, military bases, and other federal facilities, otherwise passports would be required for identification.
The state plans to seek another extension next fall.