Officials: More than 15 years after its planned implementation, there’s a real deadline to get your REAL ID

HARRISBURG — With its implementation delayed 15 years and counting, Pennsylvanians now face another hard date to get a Real ID.

It remains to be seen if this one will stick.

The Real ID Act, approved by Congress in 2005, was designed to create nationwide minimum security standards for identification, prohibiting federal agencies from accepting noncompliant driver’s licenses and ID cards at certain facilities, including airports.

Since the planned implementation date originally was announced for 2008, it has been delayed repeatedly, more recently because of the lingering impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and backlogs at Department of Motor Vehicles offices.

But at an event in Harrisburg this week, state Transportation Department officials joined others from the Transportation Safety Administration to promote another deadline for REAL ID enforcement: May 7, 2025.

That’s the date anyone 18 or older who plans to fly domestically or visit certain federal facilities will need a REAL ID or another acceptable form of identification, such as a passport or military ID.

“The improvements are intended to inhibit terrorists’ ability to evade detection by using fraudulent identification,” TSA Federal Security Director Karen Keys-Turner said.

‘Start the process now’

“The REAL ID enforcement deadline is quickly approaching,” PennDOT Secretary Mike Carroll said at the event.

“REAL ID is optional in Pennsylvania, but if you think you’ll need one — especially if you plan on flying — we recommend that you start the process now.”

To date, PennDOT said it has issued more than 2.3 million REAL IDs. But if you don’t have one yet, there are things you’ll need to take for verification and processing at any driver license center.

Needed items include:

• One document for proof of identity, such an original or certified copy of a birth certificate filed with the State Office of Vital Records/Statistics with a raised seal/embossed or a valid, or an unexpired U.S. passport
• Proof of your Social Security Number displaying your legal name and the full nine digits of the number. Examples include a Social Security card, a W-2 form, an SSA-1099 form, a non-SSA-1099 form or a pay stub
• Two examples of proof of residency, including a current, unexpired PA driver's license or identification card, vehicle registration or a utility bill with the same name and address
• Proof of all legal name changes, with examples including a certified marriage certificate issued by the County Court for each marriage, court order(s) approving a change in legal name or amended birth certificate issued by the State Office of Vital Records/Statistics

“We do not want anyone to arrive at the TSA checkpoint … being denied access to their flight because they don’t have an approved form of Identification,” Harrisburg International Airport Executive Director Timothy J. Edwards said.

“Even if you aren’t planning to fly anytime soon, you need to get a REAL ID. Should a distant family emergency, or any other kind of last-minute travel need arise, without a REAL ID, quickly flying to that location will not be an option.

How to get a REAL ID

To get a REAL ID, there are a number of options:

• If you received your first Pennsylvania driver's license, learner's permit, or photo ID card after Sept. 1, 2003, you may already have your REAL ID documentation on file with PennDOT and can apply for REAL ID pre-verification and order a REAL ID online and have it mailed
• Visit any driver's license center that is open for driver license services. There, you can have all documents verified and imaged, and a REAL ID will be mailed within 15 business days
• Visit one of 13 REAL ID centers and receive a REAL ID over the counter at the time of service

Getting a REAL ID requires payment of a one-time fee of $30, plus a renewal fee (the current renewal fee is $39.50 for a four-year non-commercial driver's license or $42.50 for a photo ID).

The expiration date of the initial REAL ID will include any time remaining on the previous non-REAL ID, plus an additional four years, unless you’re over age 65 and have a two-year license.

After the initial REAL ID expires, there are no additional fees beyond regular renewal fees to renew a REAL ID.

For a full list of driver license centers and the services offered, visit the PennDOT Driver and Vehicle Services website.

For more information on REAL ID in Pennsylvania, visit PennDOT.pa.gov/REALID. For REAL ID information from the Department of Homeland Security, visit dhs.gov/real-id.