Originally, the law mandated the switch to REAL IDs by 2008, but that date has been pushed back year after year. Now the deadline is only months away.

The REAL ID Act, passed by Congress in 2005, enacted the 9/11 Commission’s recommendation that the federal government “set standards for the issuance of sources of identification, such as driver’s licenses and identification cards,” according to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

The TSA says you have to get your Real ID by May 7. For real, this time. Why it matters: After that date, Real IDs or valid passports will be required for domestic travel and entry into certain government facilities like military bases.

The official deadline to get a Real ID to fly in the United States is almost here, 20 years after lawmakers first passed the requirement.

As a result of the REAL ID Act, after May 7 of this year, possessing a REAL ID will be mandatory in order to fly domestically.