The deadline for travelers to present Real ID-compliant driver’s licenses at the nation’s security checkpoints, originally scheduled to be in 2008 and postponed multiple times, has now been slated for the spring of 2025.
Real ID establishes minimum standards and security enhancements for state-issued driver’s licenses. The Real ID was instituted after it came to light that some of the terrorists who hijacked the four planes on September 11, 2001 used fraudulently-obtained driver’s licenses to get through airport security checkpoints.
“This extension will give states needed time to ensure their residents can obtain a REAL ID-compliant license or identification card,” said Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas in a statement.
Getting a Real ID requires a trip to the local department of motor vehicles or other agency that issues licenses, with documentation that includes proof of identity such as a current license, birth certificate, or passport; proof of date of birth; proof of U.S. citizenship; and two proofs of residence such as utility bills or bank statements. Driver’s licenses that are Real ID compliant sport a five-point star in the top right corner.
The Real ID deadline has been repeatedly postponed from 2008 to 2009 to 2011 to 2013 then to October 2020 before the current postponement. The current postponement is due to Covid-19.
