It's been 20 years since Congress passed the REAL ID Act, setting federal standards for the issuance of ID cards and drivers licenses. This May, after years of delays, the enforcement deadline is finally, actually imminent.
Are residents of D.C., Maryland and Virginia ready? If you don't have your REAL ID yet, do you need one, and when is the deadline?
Here's what you need to know.
When is the REAL ID deadline?
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Enforcement of REAL ID requirements begins May 7, 2025.
If you think you've been through this before, the deadline has been pushed back several times over the years since the act was passed. The original deadline was set for 2008, but it was first pushed back due to lack of state compliance, then due to issues posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Who needs to get a REAL ID?
According to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the reasons for having a REAL ID as laid out in the Act are:
- accessing certain federal facilities
- boarding federally regulated commercial aircraft
- entering nuclear power plants
That second bullet point means that anyone over the age of 18 who wants to board a flight — domestic or international — won't be able to use a state-issued driver's license if it's not a REAL ID version after May 7. (You may, however, still use a passport or certain other documents.)
Because courthouses and federal prisons are included on the list of federal facilities that someone might need a REAL ID to enter, that first bullet point is also important to note.
If you do not have, or do not want to get, a REAL ID, you can present a U.S. passport or other federally accepted form of ID, for the same purposes.
Children under the age of 18 will not need to show REAL ID before boarding flights, since they don't typically need to present ID when they're travelling with an adult.
How do you get a REAL ID if you need one?
In D.C., to get a REAL ID, you must fill print and fill out the driver license/identification card application form, which you can find here in a variety of languages.
You then need to bring the completed form to a D.C. DMV service center, along with the required documents.
Details on what documents count can be found at this website, but here's the list of required documents:
- proof of identity
- proof of lawful presence
- proof of Social Security number
- two forms of proof of current D.C. residency
If you have a driver's license already, and you're looking to get a REAL ID driver's license, you'll need to bring your existing license along as proof of your ability to drive.
You'll then need to take and pass a vision screening test, and take a new photograph for your new license or ID card.
Finally, you need to pay the fee, which is $47 for a first-time or renewed driver's license, or $20 for a non-driver ID card.
To get a REAL ID in Maryland, visit the online document guide webpage to learn what required documents you must bring in-person to a Motor Vehicle Administration (MVA) office.
After completing the guide, the MVA says, you'll be prompted to make an appointment for your REAL ID visit.
There's a more detailed list when you go here, but here's a primer on the "core four" required documents you'll need to get a REAL ID in Maryland:
- one proof of age and identity
- one proof of Social Security
- two forms of proof of Maryland residency
If your license already has a star on it, all you need to do to be REAL ID-compliant is to bring your documents to an MVA location, and doing so is free. If you have an older license or Maryland identification card, you will need to pay $20 for a duplicate license.
In Virginia, to get a REAL ID, you must fill out an application and then bring the required documents to an in-person DMV office.
You can start your application online before your in-person DMV visit, or you can fill out a paper application in the building.
The list of required documents includes:
- one proof of identity
- two proofs of Virginia residency
- one proof of legal presence
- proof of your Social Security number (SSN), if you have been issued one. If you know your SSN, the DMV can verify it electronically.
- If your name appears differently on your proof documents, you'll also need to show proof of name change
To see the full list of acceptable documents in the state of Virginia, go here.
There is a $10 fee in Virginia to get a REAL ID license, plus the cost of the driver's license or ID card you're applying for ($32 for a standard license renewal, $20 for a standard license replacement).
How many people in DC, Maryland and Virginia already have their REAL IDs?
D.C. has been REAL ID-compliant for at least two years, meaning the District has had these licenses available for awhile. That might be why 99% of DC DMV-issued credentials (driver licenses and ID cards) are REAL ID-compliant, according to a D.C. DMV spokesperson in March.
However, D.C. does still offer residents a choice of REAL ID driver's license or Limited Purpose ID when getting or renewing a District license.
According to Chrissy Nizer, the head of Maryland's MVA, 99% of Marylanders were REAL ID-compliant as of March, according to a news release.
However, according to the MVA website, Marylanders who received a new license or ID card with the star symbol – but who did not file required documents – need to bring those documents to the Maryland Department of Transportation’s MVA to complete the process of complying with REAL ID standards.
"We’ve made it easy for customers to assess whether they are compliant, or not, through a myMVA account. By setting up their own myMVA account, Marylanders can see their REAL ID status, as well as other relevant driver and vehicle information," Nizer said in the press release.
Virginia also still offers residents a choice between REAL ID and a standard driver's license or ID card.
The Virginia DMV has issued more than 4,011,000 REAL IDs since October 2018, accounting for 57% of all active driver's licenses and IDs in the commonwealth as of this February, a spokesperson told us.
That number seems to be ramping up.
"Recently, we’ve seen a significant increase in demand, which suggests that people are becoming aware of when REAL ID enforcement will begin," the spokesperson told us March 20. "Over the past three weeks, the DMV has been issuing between 21,000-24,000 Virginia REAL IDs per week."
Who is enforcing REAL ID requirements?
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is the main agency that will be enforcing the REAL ID requirements, mostly because most Americans who would a REAL ID would need to present one at an airport.
Starting May 7, you'll need to either show a REAL ID when you pass through airport security and at your flight's gate when you typically show your ID, or you'll need to carry your U.S. passport with you.
The DHS and other federal agencies that require ID for entry onto federal property will enforce REAL ID requirements for entering secure federal facilities.
