After nearly 20 years, U.S. travelers will need to get a REAL ID, or enhanced driver's license, if they want to fly without a passport within the U.S. or enter federal or military buildings. Transportation officials gathered at the Pittsburgh International Airport Thursday to stress that they’re serious about the new May deadline and that Pennsylvania residents should get one soon.
“It will be a very horrific experience for somebody to show up here at the Pittsburgh airport after May 7, expecting to board a commercial flight and being told they cannot,” said Mike Carroll, secretary of Pennsylvania Department of Transportation. “It's important that you look at your driver's license to be sure the gold star is on there. And if it's not, you don't have a REAL ID.”
The REAL ID Act was post-9/11 legislation passed by Congress in 2005 to establish tighter security standards for government IDs. Enforcement was originally slated to begin in 2008, but the deadline has been delayed multiple times.
Starting May 7, a REAL ID will be required for boarding a domestic commercial airline, federal or military buildings that require identification before entering and nuclear power plants. A REAL ID looks like a regular Pennsylvania driver’s license, but with a gold star in the upper right corner. Having one is not required to drive, vote, or enter a federal building that does not require an ID to get inside, such as federal courts.
Right now, only about 25% of Pennsylvania residents with a driver’s license have a REAL ID, according to Carroll.
Some people might not need to rush out and get one. Residents who have a valid U.S. or foreign passport or passport card, permanent resident card, or U.S. military ID can use those forms of identification instead of a REAL ID.
PennDOT will be hosting “REAL ID Days” for the next few months at DMVs across the state to help residents get an updated license before the deadline, including at the New Kensington Driver License Center on Monday, March 10.
To get a REAL ID right away, residents need to get some documents together and go to any PennDOT REAL ID Center; alternatively, they can go to a regular PennDOT Driver License Center to receive the ID in the mail within 15 days. Pennsylvanians can also visit PennDOT’s REAL ID website to get pre-verified online and receive a REAL ID in the mail.
“Most people think it's a giant hassle to go to the PennDOT driver's license center,” Carroll said. “It's really not. If you plan ahead, bring the documentation that is outlined when you look at the website, you can be in and out of there seamlessly.”
A REAL ID costs a one-time $30 fee plus renewal fees, and the license will be extended for four years.
Residents must provide proof of identity, proof of a valid Social Security Number, two forms of proof of a current, valid Pennsylvania address and proof of all legal name changes. Acceptable documents include: a U.S. birth certificate or valid passport to prove identity; a Social Security card, a W-2 or a pay stub to prove a valid SSN; a PA driver’s license or ID or vehicle registration to prove address; and a court order, marriage certificate or passport to prove any legal name changes.
“There's anywhere between two and a half to three million passengers that travel through TSA checkpoints on a daily basis,” said Jerry Spero, federal security director for Pennsylvania and Delaware for the Transportation Security Administration. “Could you imagine if even a small percentage of those travelers show up without a REAL ID on that day? It could really be chaos and interfere with everybody's travel plans.”
For detailed information about the process and to apply to be pre-verified and get a REAL ID in the mail, visit PennDOT’s REAL ID website.
