Real ID requirements in effect today

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

It's been law for well over 15 years.

But it is more complicated than that and saying law has really nothing to do with it. It's a Federal rule that was not implemented until now and being asked of 50 different states with all different systems, rules (including document rules) and different mentalities towards information collected.

For the 50 states:

Did your (general your) state have legal issues with the REAL ID act itself and did it enact legislature against it
Was your state able to logistically implement the REAL ID by X time
Was is the natural renewal cycle for your state
Is it relatively easy to obtain documentation you need such as marriage licenses and other name change documents (this mostly affects older women)
Is there a cost difference
What are your travel plans in the near future
Do you already have a passport and wish to use that

And many other things.

I have sympathy for those who are running into issues (like a woman chasing down a marriage certificate from 50 years ago where there appears to be no actual filed record of it and that's not a rare situation coming up), I have understanding for those using certain situations for why they aren't getting it or haven't gotten it yet (such as the date their license expires, they have a passport and their license expires in a long enough while, etc) The people I have little sympathy for are the ones who are on the news saying "I forgot, I didn't realize the date was really soon, they just sprung this on us, etc" because that is wholly on them.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

I've only had my REAL ID since March 2022, my license expired May 2022 and we were going to be in Disney/Universal at that time so I renewed/got my ID then. What helped me in terms of documentation was that I had gone in in 2013 to change my license to my married name so part of the documentation was taken care of then. In 2018 (5 years into my marriage) I ended up changing my passport at that time. So when I went into my DMV to get my REAL ID all I had to provide was my renewal postcard (which is an acceptable document for address verification) and my updated passport in my married name (they had already notated I had used my passport for proof of citizenship under my maiden name back in 2013).

When my state started issuing REAL IDs in August 2019 I had 5 out of 6 years that the license was good for left, it did not make sense to go in and get a new ID only a handful of months after I just gotten my license renewed (when REAL ID was not even being issued) even though all my state would have charged would have been the $8 photo fee. When the deadline was extended til October 2021 it also did not make sense to go in and pay for a new ID just quite yet with my license expiring in May of 2022 so I was just going to use my passport for those handful of months. Then the REAL ID deadline was extended until May 2023 and it no longer became an issue for me and I just caught it on my normal renewal cycle.

In my state you can only renew online the same ID you have so if you want an REAL ID you need to physically go into the DMV to get it for the first time, once you have that you are eligible for one renewal cycle at a time online, then the next renewal cycle you need to go into the DMV, then the next cycle you will be eligible for renewal online. Online renewal requires eye doctor documents to be submitted dated within the last 12 months (at the DMV office they check for your vision there).

There's a wide variety of reason why people legitimately waited beyond the date their state started getting them. However, waiting until now is a whole different matter.

 

[_19disnA]

If you NEVER fly (or don't need access to federal/military installations), then I don't see the need to upgrade to the Real ID. Likely there are some number of people who only drive when traveling/vacationing and don't care to fly. No idea what % that is, but obviously there are some where that is the case. Doubt that 100% of the adults will ever have Real ID's, but that is their choice. You can also show a passport to fly even if you don't have the Real ID. Also no idea what percent of adults have a passport and NOT have Real ID. To me it is a bit like not bothering to get a passport if you never travel outside of the US. Everyone has to decide how to handle that for themselves based on where they are likely to travel and how.

 

[Skippy918]

My state rolled it out in 2016. Mine was automatically converted when the old one expired. I had shown all my paperwork when I originally got my license after moving in 2003.

 

[bcla]

This is incorrect. The use case for enhanced IDs is for those people that live near the border and may want to drive over occasionally. Less than half of US citizens have a passport and if you live in one of the five states that offers an EDL, why wouldn't you do that rather than get a passport you're not going to use for anything else. In MN, it's an additional $15 for an EDL, compared to spending $160 for a passport and card.

To me, this should be a non-issue. I obtained my Real ID compliant DL in 2017, my wife got hers as a MN EDL in 2014. I now have 4 Real ID compliant IDs. It's been law for well over 15 years.

I meant that it would less of a benefit compared to having a separate driver license and passport card. I actually got my first passport card because of worries that my state might not implement Real ID in time. And it's valid for 10 years.

 

[bcla]

LOL, the DMV can be complicated. To clarify, the higher fees apply to young drivers under 18. Like other states, there’s a graduated driver’s license law, with special rules, restrictions, and conditions for 16 and 17 year old drivers, to get a learner’s permit, junior license, or full license. (Minimum age for a full unrestricted license is 17, and stricter rules apply in NYC and Long Island.)

I was referring to renewals for a basic class D license, which is what most people get. Again, it’s $64.50 for 8 years in most of the state. (If you live within commuting distance of New York City, you get hit with the extra $16 surcharge.)

I couldn't figure out what a DJ license was until I looked it up. Looks like it stands for "junior".

 

[kdonnel]

If you NEVER fly (or don't need access to federal/military installations), then I don't see the need to upgrade to the Real ID.

There are other scenarios that require a Real ID, but like you said if you NEVER plan to have a need.....

• DHS headquarters at the Nebraska Avenue Complex in Washington, D.C.
• Areas of federal facilities and nuclear power plants accessible only to employees, contractors, and guests
• Areas of federal facilities accessible to the general public with identification, at facility security levels 1 and 2
• Areas of federal facilities accessible to the general public with identification at facility security levels 3, 4, and 5, and military facilities
• Boarding federally regulated commercial aircraft (airline flights)

I am one to do something just in case. I don't think you can even get a non Real ID issued in my state.

 

[goofyernmost]

I held an enhanced DL since the early 2000's. I lived in Vermont at the time and the enhanced one allowed me to travel to Canada and back hassle free. It did cause me a problem once in the Orlando Airport. After showing it for identity I put it in my vest pocket and forgot it. I then attempted to go through the metal detectors and if beeped. He waved that wand everywhere except over my vest pocket and tried multiple times to go through the detector again. Finally, by accident he waved the wand over that pocket and it made noise. It was the card. He said that never happened before.

After I moved to North Carolina as soon as they offered it I got one thinking that it would allow me to cross the border into Canada but for those of you that moved from up north to NC this one doesn't work for Canada. If you go, you might need your Passport, especially now. I used to cross the border easier than breathing. I had a few times when I was young and traveling there by myself, I got checked out but only by American Border Patrols. Even back then Canada was a welcoming country and we made it difficult to even get a US Veteran to come back in. As I got older, I guess I looked less like a drug dealer or whatever they were looking for. You didn't even have to stop to Canadian Customs on the way out. So anyone that got in had to sneak past the American Customs Officials. Interesting don't you think, if you listened to the claims at all. No country cares if you leave, only if you come in, they don't even ask you to stop on the Canadian side on your way out. Or at least they didn't the last time I was there about 15 years ago. Same with the USA. Anyone can go up through the border from the US and no one cares except the Canadian Customs as one is entering the Country. The guys that flew the plane into the Twin Towers came into the country via the Vermont/Canada border. It was our people that let them in not the Canadians. That wasn't Canada's job.

 

[goofyernmost]

There are other scenarios that require a Real ID, but like you said if you NEVER plan to have a need.....

• DHS headquarters at the Nebraska Avenue Complex in Washington, D.C.
• Areas of federal facilities and nuclear power plants accessible only to employees, contractors, and guests
• Areas of federal facilities accessible to the general public with identification, at facility security levels 1 and 2
• Areas of federal facilities accessible to the general public with identification at facility security levels 3, 4, and 5, and military facilities
• Boarding federally regulated commercial aircraft (airline flights)

I am one to do something just in case. I don't think you can even get a non Real ID issued in my state.

Here it doesn't always or at least didn't before. There were other ways to prove you lived here even if all you had was a power bill with your name and address on it along with a photo ID. It was much simpler to just have a Passport because in order to get one of those you needed to prove a lot of things. Name, address and some other official ID. If I remember correctly it seems that I had to bring my Birth Certificate as well.

 

[mjkacmom]

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.

It’s been very difficult to get appointments in NJ since it was offered in 2019. So your license is expiring, you can renew online easy peazy, or wait months trying to snag a real ID appointment, which will take hours out of your day at the lovely MVC. I have a passport/card, flying tomorrow and will use my card. I’m not eligible for an appointment anyway, it’s not an option.