The REAL ID Requirements You Must Meet Before the Deadline

FYears of launching extensions, the deadline for actual identification is now approaching, leaving many American citizens and residents to rush to reserve appointments to update their state identification cards.

Real ID ACT, adopted in 2005, place new regulations on the type of identification cards that will be accepted if a person wishes to board a domestic flight or enter certain federal buildings. The real identity cards are marked with a star to show compliance with the law.

The Ministry of Internal Security extended the deadline for the last time in December 2022, postponing the full date of the application and giving people two more years to obtain this type of identity card. But before then, the deadline had also been extended during the Pandemic Covid-19, and several times.

Here is what you need to know about real identity requirements to make sure you are prepared.

When is the real deadline for identification?

From May 7, American residents will have to present a real identity document to board any interior flight or access a federal installation. Travelers can also present a valid passport, passport card or improved driving license. Other valid forms of identification are listed on the TSA site.

Before the imminent deadline, some states have introduced efforts to respond to the precipitation of the demand of people who try to obtain their real identity document. On March 4, New Jersey announced the start of Real Id Thursday “, which added thousands of meeting slots for real identification improvements.

“In the past few months, we have noticed a spectacular increase in the real identity demand from our customers, and we have added and repeatedly reassigned appointments to better answer this request,” said New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission (NJMVC). “The new initiative announced today will further expand access, helping to serve more customers who need or wish to obtain a real identifier. If you have a passport or another identifier accepted by the federal government, you can continue to use it to meet the federal requirements of real identification, or until you can obtain a real driving license or an identity document at a timely time. “

What are the real identification requirements?

In order to obtain a real identity document, candidates must visit their local office of the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) and present a certain number of valid documents which check their address and their full legal name. Documents will also help officials verify a person’s legal status in the United States

Eligible documents may change on a state base by state, residents must therefore check their real identification requirements on the DMV site of their state.

Generally, in order to meet these requirements, candidates must present a main document, which includes: a valid American passport, an American birth certificate, an American consular report abroad, an American American card or a permanent resident card. Some states, such as New Jersey, also allow people to present alternative documents, including their current photo employment card, an unpired foreign passport with a valid visa and a naturalization certificate.

Applicants must check their social security number. The real law on the modernization of identification and DMV policy indicates that individuals do not have to provide their social security card to verify their number, but that it can always be presented in the context of their identity verification. A W-2 tax form or a payroll heel that lists the social security number can be presented in certain state DMVs.