REAL ID application deadline is May 2025 — here's how to get one in time

REAL ID application deadline is May 2025 — here's how to get one in time

According to an announcement from the U.S. Department of Commerce, the deadline to exchange your old driver's license for a REAL ID has officially been extended to May 7, 2025. REAL ID is a new, secure form of self-identification that U.S. residents can use when traveling domestically by air. The initial deadline to get 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 gives states more time to issue IDs to everyone who needs to renew.

"This extension will give states more time to ensure their residents can get a REAL ID-compliant driver's license or ID card. The Department of Homeland Security will also use this time to implement innovations to make the process more efficient and convenient. "We will continue to ensure the American public can travel safely. ” Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro N. Mayorkas said in a statement on December 5, 2022

What does this mean for travelers? Starting May 7, 2025, the identification documents that many Americans use at TSA checkpoints and when boarding aircraft, 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 years and older will need to obtain and present “a REAL ID-compliant driver’s license or ID card, a state-issued enhanced driver’s license, or other TSA-acceptable form of identification” to pass through security and board domestic flights.

Here’s a quick guide to everything you need to know, including the best way to get a REAL ID and what travel restrictions will be faced by those who don’t get one by the 2025 deadline.

1. Why you need a REAL ID in the first place

Based on the recommendations of the 9/11 Commission, Congress enacted the REAL ID Act in 2005. The REAL ID Act was passed in 2006, which established additional identification security standards for U.S. residents traveling by air and prohibited all federal agencies from accepting any identification document that did not meet the new act's requirements.

The REAL ID will completely replace your current ID and perform all the same functions. However, for non-travelers in certain states, the standard ID will still work for all other age-related purposes, including driving, voting, and purchasing alcohol.

Keep in mind that the REAL ID is only valid for domestic travel within the United States, and all international travel still requires a passport or passport card.

2. Requires in-person visits to the DMV

According to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, all 50 states, Washington, D.C., and four of the five U.S. territories covered by the REAL ID Act and related regulations now meet REAL ID security standards and issue driver's licenses and ID cards that meet REAL ID requirements.

In each state eligible to issue REAL IDs, the DMV is the only place you can pick up a REAL ID, and you must go in person. Hopefully, the deadline extension will give you and your local DMV enough time to plan and schedule an appointment accordingly.

3. How to get a REAL ID as efficiently as possible

While there is no way to get a REAL ID by mail, ID, but there are several ways to speed up the process.

The first thing you can do is schedule an appointment, which can save you a ton of time. Others looking to upgrade their IDs have waited in long lines at the DMV.

Here’s a list of all the paper documents you’ll need to bring with you to the DMV:

1) Passport or birth certificate—no copies needed!

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

2) Two documents proving your residency and street address (such as a utility bill)

3) Payment: Cash, check, or debit card accepted (“Keep in mind that fees may vary by state, but will almost certainly be less than $50,” Kunz says.)

4) Some states may require additional materials, so check your state’s DMV website for details.

5) Finally, see if you can submit the necessary documents online before going to the DMV. The Department of Homeland Security has allowed some states to digitally accept the documents required for REAL ID applications before the interview. Applicants who submit documents digitally will still have to go to the DMV in person, but this feature promises to greatly speed up the process.

4. If you don't have a REAL ID by May 7, 2025, you may be subject to travel restrictions

For the vast majority of people, those who do not meet the REAL ID requirements 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 replace REAL IDs. Other acceptable forms of identification include passports or passport cards.

For a complete list of acceptable forms of identification, including driver's licenses that meet REAL ID requirements, please visit the TSA ID webpage.

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Service Cases

IDeverest has been deeply involved in the custom card and printing industry for more than ten years. Adhering to the customer-first service tenet, it is widely praised and is known as one of the best ID suppliers in the North American market.

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