Have a Kentucky driver's license? Don't panic but there's a small chance you might need a passport to fly in 2018

Kentuckians: Breathe a sigh of relief because you won't need a passport just yet to travel by plane. The Commonwealth has received another extension exempting it from the REAL ID Act of 2005 until Oct. 10, 2018. As of Jan. 22, 2018, passengers who have driver's licenses issued by states that are not compliant with the REAL ID Act of 2005 need to show airport personnel an alternative form of identification in order to fly. Kentucky is among the states whose identification cards do not comply with federal security standards recommended by the 9/11 Commission and approved by Congress in 2005. Kentucky's exemption lapsed on Oct. 10, 2017, and was under review until another exemption was approved on Oct. 23, 2017. "REAL ID is a coordinated effort by the states and the federal government to improve the reliability and accuracy of state-issued identification documents, which should inhibit terrorists’ ability to evade detection by using fraudulent identification," according to the Dept. of Homeland Security's website.