It’s coming. And this time it appears it’s for real.
May 7 is the deadline to make your state-issued identification card or driver’s license a Real ID.
Appointments are filling up fast.
So what do you need to know?
Northeastern Global News spoke with airline expert Ravi Sarathy, a professor of international business and strategy at the university’s D’Amore-McKim School of Business, about the upcoming deadline, what the deadline means, and more.
A Real ID is basically a federally accepted form of identification — for example, a driver’s license or state identification card — that meets beefed-up security standards established by Congress.
“It is a national standard,” Sarathy says. “As opposed to each state having its own driver’s license regulation, this is a national standard.”
Although the exact symbol varies by state, Real ID compliant identification will have a star marking on the top portion of the card.
Sarathy sees Real ID as part of a trend.
“Just like you’re making currency harder to fake, passports harder to fake, I think Real ID is in the same direction,” Sarathy says. “You try to reduce the amount of fake identification that people might be able to use.”
Travelers 18 and older will need a Real ID to board domestic flights beginning May 7.
A Real ID is also required to access certain federal facilities like military bases and to enter nuclear power plants.
Children under 18 do not need a Real ID when traveling with a companion with acceptable identification.
If you have another form of identification that is approved by the Transportation Security Administration — for example a valid passport or a permanent resident card — then you don’t need a Real ID compliant document to fly, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
DHS advises residents to visit their state’s driver’s licensing agency website to find out exactly what documentation is required to obtain a Real ID.
At a minimum, you must provide documentation that shows your:
But DHS notes that states may impose additional requirements, so visiting the state’s driver’s licensing agency website — before visiting them in person — is highly recommended.
In Massachusetts, for instance, there is a three-step process to get a Real ID. People must gather the appropriate documents, apply online to schedule an appointment and then visit the Registry of Motor Vehicles to complete the process.
It is expected to take two weeks or up to 15 business days to receive your Real ID from your state’s motor vehicle department.
“It’s not hard,” Sarathy says, relating his own experience of getting a Real ID. “But it does require an extra step.”
Yes.
“It’s been pushed down the road several times,” Sarathy says.
Congress passed the Real ID Act in 2005, adopting the 9/11 Commission’s recommendation that the federal government “set standards for the issuance of sources of identification, such as driver’s licenses and identification cards.”
The law was set to take effect in 2008, but was pushed back to 2020, and then pushed back again by DHS over “backlogged transactions” at motor vehicle offices nationwide as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to USA Today.
Sarathy notes that the license renewal process for years has allowed one to become Real ID compliant.
“The likelihood of making this stick is much higher now than it used to be,” Sarathy says. “But who knows? This is such an uncertain time.”