Real ID deadline extended again

The Real ID has again been postponed — until 2023.

On Tuesday, the Department of Homeland Security announced the extension of Real ID enforcement from Oct. 1, 2021, to May 3, 2023.

The decision was based on “circumstances resulting from the ongoing covid-19 pandemic,” the DHS said in a statement.

The original Real ID enforcement deadline was Oct. 1, 2020. But in March 2020, with the pandemic’s onset, the federal government extended the deadline to October 2021. Tuesday’s decision is based on the impact the covid crisis has had on driver’s licensing agencies around the country, many of which are still operating at limited capacity, the DHS said.

The decision extends the deadline another 19 months.

“As our country continues to recover from the covid-19 pandemic, extending the Real ID full enforcement deadline will give states needed time to reopen their driver’s licensing operations and ensure their residents can obtain a Real ID-compliant license or identification card,” said Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.

The Real ID Act of 2005 established federal security standards for state driver’s licenses and ID cards, the most commonly carried form of identification.

When the requirements go into effect May 3, 2023, a Real ID-compliant form of identification must be shown to board a domestic commercial flight or enter a federal building. Several forms of ID issued by the federal government automatically qualify as Real ID. U.S. passports, U.S passport cards, permanent resident cards and federally recognized tribal-issued photo IDs are among them.

The federal government has been pushing states to bring their driver’s licenses into compliance with Real ID requirements.

Once a driver’s license has been made Real ID-compliant, it can be used as identification to board a domestic flight and enter federal buildings.

A standard driver’s license is sufficient for driving and other routine ID requirements.

PennDOT has issued an estimated 1.1 million Real IDs. They look like regular driver’s licenses except they have a gold star logo in the upper right corner.

PennDOT paused issuing Real IDs in March 2020 during the pandemic and resumed issuing them in September.

Pennsylvania residents can obtain a Real ID-certified driver’s license by presenting documents for verification and processing at any driver’s license center. The documents include an official birth certificate, a Social Security card, two proofs of current address and, if applicable, proof of legal name changes.

The state charges a one-time fee of $30 to obtain a Real ID driver’s license, plus a $30.50 fee to renew the license an additional four years.

The state’s guidelines for obtaining a Real ID are online at dmv.pa.gov/RealID. The FAQ section is available here.

The Real ID Act of 2005 was created for the purposes of national security. As described on the DHS website: “Secure driver’s licenses and identification documents are a vital component of our national security framework. The Real ID Act enacted the 9/11 Commission’s recommendation that the federal government ‘set standards for the issuance of sources of identification, such as driver’s licenses.’ The Act established minimum security standards for license issuance and production and prohibits federal agencies from accepting for certain purposes driver’s licenses and identification cards from states not meeting the Act’s minimum standards.”