NEW YORK (AP) — The deadline to get a REAL ID is fast approaching after years of postponements and delays.

Starting May 7, your license or identification card will need to be REAL ID-compliant to fly domestically in the U.S.

Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem like there will be another delay in the deadline this time. So, if you’re confused about how to get a REAL ID, why you even need one in the first place, and what happens if you don’t have one by May 7, here are some things to know:

What is a REAL ID?

It’s a federally compliant state-issued license or identification card that the DHS says is a more secure form of identification. Besides needing a REAL ID to fly domestically, you will also need one to access certain federal buildings and facilities.

Why is this happening?

When the REAL ID Act was signed into law in 2005, it enacted a recommendation from the 9/11 Commission that the government set security standards for state-issued driver’s licenses and IDs.

“REAL ID is a coordinated effort by the federal government to improve the reliability and accuracy of driver’s licenses and identification cards,” John Essig, the Transportation Security Administration’s Security Director for airports in the New York City region said in a press release on April 3. “The improvements are intended to inhibit terrorists’ ability to evade detection by using fraudulent identification.”

The REAL ID Act was supposed to begin rolling out in 2008, “but has faced repeated delays due to state implementation challenges and the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Nina Ruggiero, senior editorial director for Travel + Leisure. “The combination of varying state processes and shifting deadlines has added to the overall confusion around REAL IDs and likely led some travelers to take the deadlines less seriously.”

How do I know if I already have a REAL ID?

If you’ve gotten a new ID in the last few years, it could already be REAL ID-compliant.

“I also hear from travelers who are confused as to whether or not they already have a REAL ID,” Ruggiero said. “Some people who have recently renewed their license may already have a compliant ID and not know it,” so you may want to double-check yours before starting the process.

A REAL ID-compliant driver’s license has a symbol ( in most states, a star ) in the top corner of the card.

If you live in Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Vermont or Washington, it’s possible you could have an “enhanced″ ID card instead, which permits you to cross land and sea borders into Mexico and Canada from the U.S. It does not, however, allow you to fly into either of those countries.

Enhanced IDs will have an American flag icon, as well as the word “enhanced” at the top of the card.

If I don’t have a REAL ID, how do I get one?

The requirements vary by state, so you will need to visit the website of your state’s driver’s licensing agency to find out the specific steps, including whether you’ll need to make an appointment at a DMV and what documentation you’ll need when you get there.

What happens on May 7? What if I don’t have a REAL ID by then?

If you don’t have a REAL ID by the deadline and you’re planning to board a domestic flight, you will need to bring your passport or another TSA-approved form of identification when you travel.

Otherwise, you could face “delays, additional screening and the possibility of not being permitted into the security checkpoint,” warns TSA spokesperson Lisa Farbstein.

The deadline has already been pushed back so many times. Could it be delayed again?

In mid-April, a group of state senators from Kentucky asked the agency to delay implementing the new requirements yet again. They said the state has limited appointments available to people seeking the new cards and that there has been a rush to meet the May 7 deadline.

However, TSA spokesperson Dan Velez told the AP that the agency does not intend to delay the REAL ID deadline again.

As of late April, 81% of travelers at TSA checkpoints were presenting acceptable identification, including a state-issued REAL ID, according to DHS.

PITTSBURGH (AP) — A man who fell from the 21-foot-high Clemente Wall in right field at PNC Park during Wednesday night’s game between the Pittsburgh Pirates and Chicago Cubs remained in critical condition on Thursday morning.

Pittsburgh Public Safety, which includes Pittsburgh Police and EMS, posted on X Thursday that the “incident is being treated as accidental in nature.”

The man who fell was identified Thursday as Kavan Markwood, according to information supplied by the Southern Alleghany School District. District Workforce Development Coordinator Laura Thomson said in a statement that the district is keeping the “former student and standout athlete” in its thoughts and prayers. She identified Markwood was a 2022 graduate who “made a lasting impact” on the district community as an athlete and a “man of character,” and said he was MVP of the football team during his senior year.

Thomson’s statement said Markwood “is best known for his resilience, strength and kindness. He is a friend to all — someone who lifts others up and faces challenges with courage and grace.”

Markwood fell onto the warning track in right field just as Pirates star Andrew McCutchen hit a two-run double in the seventh inning to put Pittsburgh ahead 4-3. Players began waving frantically for medical personnel and pointing to the man.

Markwood was tended to for approximately five minutes by members of both the Pirates and Cubs training staffs as well as PNC personnel, before being removed from the field on a cart. He was taken to the trauma center at Allegheny General Hospital, where he remained on Thursday.

Pittsburgh owner Bob Nutting said the club was “deeply saddened” and “truly heartbroken” over what he called a “terrible accident.”

“In times like these, we must come together, support one another, and keep him and his loved ones in our prayers,” Nutting said in a statement. “We also want to thank and appreciate the efforts of the first responders who rushed to his attention and provided him with compassionate care.”

The railing that runs along the Clemente Wall in right field is three feet (36 inches) in height, which exceeds the building code requirements of 26 inches, according to Pirates vice president of communications Brian Warecki.

Fans were sitting in the front row above the Clemente Wall on Thursday ahead of the series finale between the two teams.

McCutchen, a five-time All-Star and franchise icon, said Thursday that the team was “devastated,” adding that they prayed together after the game. Asked to describe his viewpoint of the sequence, McCutchen declined, saying he is trying not to think about it and is more focused on the man’s health.

“We’re just hoping for the best for him,” he said. “I hope he pulls through because he’s the reason why we are here. He’s the reason why we play the game. People that show their support so we can do something we love, partly because of him and because of fans. So, I just pray that he’s all right.”

Pirates manager Derek Shelton and Cubs manager Craig Counsell both alerted the umpire crew of the situation immediately after the play.

“Even though it’s 350 feet away or whatever it is, I mean the fact of how it went down and then laying motionless while the play is going on, I mean Craig saw it, I saw it. We both got out there,” Shelton said. “I think the umpires saw it because of the way it kicked. It’s extremely unfortunate. That’s an understatement.”

Players from both teams could be seen praying and McCutchen held a cross that hung from his neck while Markwood was taken off the field.

The game was paused for several minutes while he received medical attention but there was no official stoppage in play.

Police said any medical update on the fan will be provided by medical personnel in conjunction with the man’s family.

Fans have died from steep falls at baseball stadiums in the past.

In 2015, Atlanta Braves season ticket holder Gregory K. Murrey flipped over guard rails from the upper deck at Turner Field. That was four years after Shannon Stone, a firefighter attending a game with his 6-year-old son, fell about 20 feet after reaching out for a foul ball tossed into the stands at the Texas Rangers’ former stadium.

Both incidents prompted scrutiny over the height of guard rails at stadiums. The Rangers raised theirs, while the Braves settled a lawsuit with Murrey’s family.

A spectator at a 2022 NFL game at Pittsburgh’s Acrisure Stadium died following a fall on an escalator.