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CALIFORNIA — The deadline to get a REAL ID-compliant driver’s license has changed so many times it’s almost a punchline for a joke. Now, the date Californians need to remember is May 7, 2025.
After that date, if things stand as they are now, residents of the Golden State will no longer be able to board domestic flights or enter nuclear power plants and certain federal buildings if they don’t have a REAL ID. A valid passport works as well as a REAL ID when boarding domestic flights.
Congress passed the REAL ID Act, a recommendation of the 9/11 Commission, in 2005. It “establishes minimum security standards for state-issued driver’s licenses and identification cards, and prohibits federal agencies from accepting for official purposes licenses and identification cards from states that do not meet these standards.”
Here are some things to know about REAL ID and the new deadline:
How Do I Know If I Have A REAL ID?
A REAL ID is distinguishable from a regular California driver’s license because it has the silhouette of a familiar bear in the upper right corner, along with a star. That’s a shorthand way of saying a person’s citizenship and legal residence status have been verified.
How Do I Get A REAL ID?
REAL ID cards are issued at driver’s licensing stations in California. In general, those seeking them need to provide documentation showing their legal name, date of birth, Social Security number or proof of lawful status to be in the United States, and two proofs of the address of their principal residence.
California is among the states where residents can upload their documents in advance to save time, but applicants will still need to visit a DMV office to complete the process.
Here's what they need:
Why Is The Deadline So Fluid?
The Department of Homeland Security has extended the deadline for REAL ID-compliant driver’s licenses multiple times, most recently in late 2022 when the agency moved the implementation date back two years to May 7, 2025.
Homeland Security officials said COVID-19 pandemic-related backlogs have slowed states’ progress in issuing REAL ID-compliant driver’s licenses.
Those backlogs are greater in some states where driver’s license expiration dates were automatically extended, or by shifting operations to appointment only.
Should I Just Wait Until 2025?
With the extended deadline now about a year and a half in the future, the temptation to put off getting a REAL ID may be great. But that could mean longer lines and more competition for appointments in places that require them.
Homeland Security officials estimated that by May 2023, the REAL ID compliance deadline before the latest extension, only about 56 percent of the U.S. population over age 18 would have obtained one.
In California, the DMV said close to 17 million residents had their REAL ID by New Year's Day, up nearly two million from the year before. Officials recommend getting it done sooner rather than later.
"Resolving to get your REAL ID is one of the easiest goals you can set for 2024,” said DMV Director Steve Gordon. "Losing weight and saving for retirement takes time. You can get a REAL ID in a matter of minutes."
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