The main difference is that the record is added to a federal database. The actual ID is pretty much the same. There is some effort to make all the states' IDs l

The main difference is that the record is added to a federal database. The actual ID is pretty much the same. There is some effort to make all the states' IDs look similar in terms of layout. At low-traffic airports if you're from a low-population state the person looking at your ID might not have seen one today.