Real ID requirements in effect today

NY was one of the last states and of course there remain people who just woke up to the need.
One of my home attendants wanted to fly to Georgia, Memorial Day weekend but has no Real ID and Amtrak is fully booked.

I’m off to Fl but a passport still trumps a driver’s license (unless there’s a pandemic and your passport has expired…sigh).
 
NY was one of the last states and of course there remain people who just woke up to the need.
One of my home attendants wanted to fly to Georgia, Memorial Day weekend but has no Real ID and Amtrak is fully booked.

I’m off to Fl but a passport still trumps a driver’s license (unless there’s a pandemic and your passport has expired…sigh).
If more people just got the enhanced license in NY in the first place, this wouldn't have been a big issue in the first place.
 
NY was one of the last states and of course there remain people who just woke up to the need.
One of my home attendants wanted to fly to Georgia, Memorial Day weekend but has no Real ID and Amtrak is fully booked.

I’m off to Fl but a passport still trumps a driver’s license (unless there’s a pandemic and your passport has expired…sigh).
Ours expired during COVID, mailed in the application.
 

Ours expired during COVID, mailed in the application.
My need was a perfect storm of everything going wrong at the same time. Came back from Disney and my passport expired a few weeks later. NYC started shutting down shortly thereafter and just truly bad things happening. Think it took almost 8 months for me to get it.
 
I am surprised at some of the noncompliance levels. When my DL expired in 2023, I had to get a Real ID. Renewing as a regular license wasn’t an option. The website would not allow me to renew online. Yes, it was inconvenient to have to do an in person visit to the DMV but it’s done and now I can go back to renewing online.
 
My license was expiring in 2020. I had an appointment at the DMV for a new one, and I was getting Real ID on it. Next thing I knew, DMV told my my appointment was cancelled as they were closing all offices due to COVID. They did extend my license for one year at that time. Just before the year was up I got an appointment notice that they set up for me. I went in, got license and only had to take eye test, as they weren't doing in vehicle testing yet.

Now my license is expiring again, BUT I will not be in state when my renewal date comes up. :headache:
 
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If more people just got the enhanced license in NY in the first place, this wouldn't have been a big issue in the first place.
Does the Enhanced License cost more in NY than a regular or RealID license? It does here. NY is a large state and most probably do not travel across the Canadian border so may have felt the extra cost wasn’t worth it.
 
NY was one of the last states and of course there remain people who just woke up to the need.
One of my home attendants wanted to fly to Georgia, Memorial Day weekend but has no Real ID and Amtrak is fully booked.

I’m off to Fl but a passport still trumps a driver’s license (unless there’s a pandemic and your passport has expired…sigh).
She can still fly with a regular DL.

Just may be screened more thoroughly.
 
Does the Enhanced License cost more in NY than a regular or RealID license? It does here. NY is a large state and most probably do not travel across the Canadian border so may have felt the extra cost wasn’t worth it.
https://dmv.ny.gov/driver-license/enhanced-or-real-id

It's $30 more. I got it as an emergency proof of citizenship in addition to my passport. I also added my boating certificate to it as well when I upgraded last year.
 
I was caught off guard by how many people have waited to get a Real ID. They have been around long enough that everyone had to elect NOT to get a real ID when their license expired.
Does the Enhanced License cost more in NY than a regular or RealID license? It does here. NY is a large state and most probably do not travel across the Canadian border so may have felt the extra cost wasn’t worth it.
Best I can tell New York and Pennsylvania are the only states that charge more for a Real ID.
 
She can still fly with a regular DL.

Just may be screened more thoroughly.
It's possible to fly domestically without any ID at all provided that your identity can be verified other ways. I've done it.

I was caught off guard by how many people have waited to get a Real ID. They have been around long enough that everyone had to elect NOT to get a real ID when their license expired.
A lot of states and territories dragged their feet on implementation. Most states weren't compliant until 2018-2020, and American Samoa wasn't compliant until 2024. DL validity periods vary by state, but many are 8 years and Montana is even 12 years (and they didn't start issuing Real ID licenses until 2019).
 
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She can still fly with a regular DL.

Just may be screened more thoroughly.
She’s a “real” NYCer, as am I; driving here often means you put your hand in the air and say “Taxi!”. Lol.

Having a DL here means, you moved here from far away, you’re originally from the suburbs or some outer boroughs or some combo of the above. Having a car is an expensive nuisance in much of the city.
 
When we lived in the PNW and enhanced license was available, and that’s what I planned to get at renewal. Instead we moved to the south and real ideas weren’t yet a thing. Or if they were weren’t being pushed. Fast forward a few years to 2023 and I finally get a Real ID. I had time to kill while my child took her drivers road test. DH didn’t get his until February and waited hours in line.

I’ve seen plenty of ignorant social media posts this week whining that they don’t have one and didn’t know it was a thing. Sorry not buying it.
 
I was caught off guard by how many people have waited to get a Real ID. They have been around long enough that everyone had to elect NOT to get a real ID when their license expired.

Best I can tell New York and Pennsylvania are the only states that charge more for a Real ID.

Depends on the state. New York wants $30 more, on top of their very high driver license fees. I see their base passenger car driver license is $98.50, but a state ID is only $13.

Washington is really crazy. No Real ID, so that means non US citizens will need something else. Most will have a passport or green card. However, the Enhanced fee is $16 per year. I'm not sure if it's upfront or billed each year.

https://dol.wa.gov/driver-licenses-...r-license-edl/get-enhanced-driver-license-edl
 
I was caught off guard by how many people have waited to get a Real ID. They have been around long enough that everyone had to elect NOT to get a real ID when their license expired.
Depends on the state. I’m in NY and recently got my Real ID, a few months before it was set to expire. My last one expired 8 years ago in 2017, before the state started issuing them.

Best I can tell New York and Pennsylvania are the only states that charge more for a Real ID.
There is no additional charge in NY for a Real ID, compared to the standard driver’s license, which is still available. The $30 extra fee is for
an Enhanced Driver’s License (EDL), which is different than Real ID.

Enhanced DL’s, allow land (+ some sea) crossings to Canada and Mexico (+ some Caribbean countries). They are only available in five states (all bordering Canada to the north).
 
Depends on the state. New York wants $30 more, on top of their very high driver license fees.
As mentioned above, the extra $30 is for the Enhanced DL. May be confusing, but there are 3 general types of licenses available in NY. (Not counting commercial, taxi, or other special class licenses.)

I see their base passenger car driver license is $98.50, but a state ID is only $13.
Not sure where you’re getting these numbers. Per the NYS DMV website, the fee for a standard or Real ID DL is $64.50. Then, for those of us in the NYC metro area (boroughs of the city and surrounding counties), there’s an additional commuter surcharge of $16 (total cost $80.50). There are also non-driver ID cards (standard and Real ID compliant) with varying fees that range from $6.50 to $14.00, depending on your age, and free for seniors who receive SSI, and anyone on public assistance.

That said, I have no idea what other states charge for a driver’s license, although it wouldn’t surprise me if NYS was more expensive.
 



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