If you already have a REAL ID or a passport, pat yourself on the back. If you don’t and plan to fly after May 6, you are going to need one.

A REAL ID is like a souped-up driver’s license or ID card that requires additional checks to get and also serves as an accepted form of federal identification.

You probably know this already if you have one. If not, look in the upper right corner of your driver’s license. If it has a star, bingo. If it does not and you don’t have a passport, passport card or military ID, you will be in a no-fly zone as of May 7, if you are 18 or older. Oregonians can get regular driver’s licenses or REAL IDsfor an extra fee of $30, so decide which you need.

Congress passed the REAL ID Act in 2005, as a follow up to a recommendation from the 9/11 Commission to get more secure identification for boarding flights and entering federal facilities.

The 9/11 hijackers “used unverified driver’s licenses to take flight lessons and board the planes on the morning of September 11. In fact, 18 of the 19 hijackers had acquired some form of fraudulent ID, including 30 driver’s licenses from various states,” according to Republican U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa.

Getting a REAL ID before the May 7 deadline could be difficult. Expect lines at the DMV and it can take three weeks to get your ID through the mail. There is more information about what documents you need here: tinyurl.com/ORrealid. Think about if you need one. Act if you do.