The Real ID Deadline Is in May 2025—Here’s How to Get Yours in Time

Title: The Real ID Deadline Is in May 2025—Here’s How to Get Yours in Time

According to an announcement from the U.S. Department of Commerce, the deadline to exchange old driver’s licenses for REAL ID, a new, secure form of self-identification that can be used by U.S. residents traveling domestically by air, has been officially extended to May 7, 2025. The initial deadline to obtain a REAL ID for travel was October 1, 2020, then October 1, 2021, and then extended again to May 3, 2023. Since the process requires applicants to visit the DMV in person, the latest extension allows states additional time to issue IDs to everyone who needs the update.

“This extension will provide states with more time to ensuring that its residents can obtain a REAL ID-compliant license or ID card. DHS will also use this time to implement innovations to make the process more efficient and convenient. We will continue to ensure that the American public can travel safely.” Said Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas in a statement on December 5, 2022

What does it mean for travelers? Effective May 7, 2025, the identification documents that many Americans use at TSA checkpoints and when boarding planes, such as a standard driver’s license or photo ID, will no longer be a valid form of identification for domestic air travel. Instead, air travelers 18 and older will need to obtain and present a “Real ID-compliant driver’s license or identification card, state-issued enhanced driver’s license, or other TSA-acceptable form of identification” to pass security and board a domestic flight .

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Here’s a quick guide to everything you need to know, including the best way to get a REAL ID and what travel restrictions to expect for those who haven’t gotten one by the 2025 deadline.

Why you need a REAL ID first

Acting on the recommendations of the 9/11 Commission, Congress passed the REAL ID Act in 2005, which established additional identification security standards for U.S. residents traveling by air and prevented all federal agencies from accepting any identification that did not meet the requirements of the new act. identity document.

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A Real ID will completely replace your current ID and serve all the same purposes. However, for non-travellers in some states, standard ID still works for all other age-related purposes, including driving, voting and buying alcohol.

Remember, REAL ID is only available for domestic U.S. travel, a passport or passport card is still required for all international travel.

Requires an in-person trip to DMV

According to the Department of Homeland Security, all 50 U.S. states, Washington, D.C., and four of the five U.S. territories covered by the REAL ID Act and related regulations are now compliant with REAL ID security standards and issue REAL ID-compliant driver’s licenses and ID card.

In every state that is eligible to issue a REAL ID, the DMV is the only place to get a REAL ID, and you must go in person. Hopefully, the extension of the deadline will give you and your local DMV enough time to plan and make an appointment accordingly.

How to get your REAL ID as efficiently as possible

While there is no mail-in option to obtain a REAL ID, there are several ways to speed up the process.

The first thing you can do is make an appointment, which can save you a lot of time. Others hoping to upgrade their IDs have lined up at the DMV with long wait times.

Here is a list of all the paper documents you need to bring with you when you go to the DMV:

1. Passport or birth certificate – no copies!

Social Security (SS) card or document showing your SS number (such as W-2 form)

• Two documents proving your place of residence and street address (such as a utility bill)
• Payment: Cash, check or debit card is accepted (“Keep in mind that the fee may vary by state, but will almost certainly be less than $50,” Kunz says.)
• Some states may require additional materials, so check your state’s DMV website for details.
• Finally, see if you can submit the necessary documents online before heading to the DMV. The Department of Homeland Security has allowed some states to digitally accept documents required for REAL ID applications before people are interviewed. Applicants who submit documents digitally will still need to go to the DMV in person, but this feature is expected to speed up the process significantly.

If you don’t have a REAL ID before May 7, 2025, you may be subject to travel restrictions

For the vast majority of people, those who are not Real ID compliant by the deadline will not be able to board commercial aircraft for domestic travel. States such as Michigan, Vermont, Minnesota and New York offer enhanced driver’s licenses that can be used in place of REAL ID. Other acceptable forms of ID include a passport or passport card.

For a complete list of acceptable forms of identification, including REAL ID-compliant driver’s licenses, visit the TSA Identification webpage.

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