Anybody here up to speed on “Real ID”?

[Monty]

Heard some people in the break room saying it would now be virtually impossible for the average US citizen to be able to board a plane without “Real ID”.  
I assume this will require more bureaucratic hassle involving a birth certificate, background investigation etc.

Anybody had to “upgrade” recently?  If so, how much of a pain is it?

 

 

 

[ranma]

Ohio real ID requirement Birth Certificate and a Utility bill in the persons name. ID is Mailed to the person which they get via USPS a week or so after going to the local BMV Offices. this will have to be repeated ever 4-8 years!

[Rodent]

Had mine in California for 6 years now. I had to go in to DMV to renew my license (reached the limit of by-mail renewals), so I upgraded it while I was there. It was relatively painless, but I already had a passport. I took in a couple of utility bills, my birth certificate, SS card, and my passport. Told them to pick whatever they wanted. When the license is renewed every 5 years, it is still a Real ID, no reapplication is necessary.

This has been coming for 20 years now, shouldn't be a surprise.....

[1930fordpickup]

Not much of a pain as anything else at the DMV. Get the info your state requires before you show up.

Normaly it is your current ID a passport and or your birth certificate.

They did give a reprieve for a few days or weeks because the 2 decades were not enough time. 

 

[Rob Hall]

I got mine the last time I got a new driver's license when I moved in 2023. 

[StevenGuthmiller]

You don’t need it if you have a passport.

I have both, but you can travel anywhere as long as you have a passport.

The real ID is virtually useless if you travel internationally.

Only good in the US, and in my view, it’s just as easy to travel with a passport.

 

 

Steve

[thatz4u]

not even concerned...

[1972coronet]

My birth certificate... last time I saw it en vivo was close to 40 years ago- and I've moved three times since. 

I don't have any utility bills to present, as I split utilities with my dad (I'm his caregiver) .

No passport, either.

Oh, well... no air travel for me !

[Little Timmy]

I refuse to pay the extra fee just to get a gold star on my license !

This is just as stupid as the banks charging you $5 to cash a check from another bank. They claim the fee is to discourage fraud. HA!

If I was a guy with a fraudulent check I would happily pay the $5 to cash a $5,000 check.

There is NO difference between a real ID and a regular license.

You need the same documentation to get either, why charge an extra fee just to prove what you already proved ?

 

" oooooh look" ." I got a gold star"

"Dont I feel special" 

Ok... rant over .

 

[Ace-Garageguy]

The thing is, without a passport, most American citizens won't be able to fly commercially within the US without the gold or black star.

I don't fly commercial much these days, but when I have to, I HAVE to.

My own GA license has been "real" for many years, but AZ doesn't accept the GA document and automatically issue a "real" one when you move...at least they didn't in 2021. For the "real" version, AZ requires your old license plus all fresh documentation: birth cert or passport and proof of local residency.

Yeah, it's a minor PITA, but it is what it is, and once you get it, it's done.

Edited May 17 by Ace-Garageguy

[StevenGuthmiller]

1 hour ago, Little Timmy said:

I refuse to pay the extra fee just to get a gold star on my license !

This is just as stupid as the banks charging you $5 to cash a check from another bank. They claim the fee is to discourage fraud. HA!

If I was a guy with a fraudulent check I would happily pay the $5 to cash a $5,000 check.

There is NO difference between a real ID and a regular license.

You need the same documentation to get either, why charge an extra fee just to prove what you already proved ?

 

" oooooh look" ." I got a gold star"

"Dont I feel special" 

Ok... rant over .

 

All of that is understandable, but without a real ID or a passport, you’re not getting on a plane.

That’s just the way it’s gonna be.

 

 

 

Steve

[ranma]

Real ID is also required to enter Federal Buildings and Military bases ect. Which includes national museums.  SINCE MAY 7, 2025 Real ID are required to enter All Federal Buildings, Even the Air Museum in Dayton, Ohio!

Edited May 16 by ranma

[peteski]

10 hours ago, ranma said:

Real ID is also required to enter Federal Buildings and Military bases ect. Which includes national museums.  SINCE MAY 7, 2025 Real ID are required to enter All Federal Buildings, Even the Air Museum in Dayton, Ohio!

And as mentioned, a valid passport will also get you into all those places, but not many of us carry a passport with us at all times.

[Little Timmy]

I took an aviation course in highschool,  I can fly myself .... now, who can I borrow  an airplane from ???

 

[JollySipper]

1 hour ago, Little Timmy said:

I took an aviation course in highschool,  I can fly myself .... now, who can I borrow  an airplane from ???

 

Flying an aircraft is serious business! There's no room for yoking around..........  

[John M.]

I needed a birth certificate and SS card to renew my Class B CDL back in Sept. of 2020 before my birthday for the first time per Federal and State law. I'll need to do it again next year. 

Edited May 17 by John M.

[Mike C]

In GA we need a black or gold star on the upper right of the driver's license. Mine has the black star so I'm OK.

[mikemodeler]

https://www.tsa.gov/travel/security-screening/identification

Technically you can pass thru security checkpoints without Real ID, just be prepared for it to take a little longer.

 

 

[StevenGuthmiller]

4 hours ago, mikemodeler said:

https://www.tsa.gov/travel/security-screening/identification

Technically you can pass thru security checkpoints without Real ID, just be prepared for it to take a little longer.

 

 

Sure.

There have to be alternatives for extenuating circumstances.

If you don't mind going through more of a rectal examination every time you fly than it takes to just suck it up and get the correct identification.

 

 

 

Steve

[mikemodeler]

43 minutes ago, StevenGuthmiller said:

Sure.

There have to be alternatives for extenuating circumstances.

If you don't mind going through more of a rectal examination every time you fly than it takes to just suck it up and get the correct identification.

 

 

 

Steve

I used to fly every week for work and got to know the ins and outs of air travel pretty well. I have had a passport, real ID and TSA Pre Check for years and still am subjected to random searches and pat downs. I learned a long time ago that if you are nice to those people who can make or break your travel day, you get a lot farther and sometimes perks that those who aren't, don't. A wise man I know sums it up like this: Be kind to people, it doesn't cost you anything.

 

I posted that link because there are some people who would view the whole real ID as nonsense and another attempt by big government to know more about you. Truth is that if you have filed a tax return the government can use that to find out more about you.

[Ace-Garageguy]

23 minutes ago, mikemodeler said:

...I posted that link because there are some people who would view the whole real ID as nonsense and another attempt by big government to know more about you. Truth is that if you have filed a tax return the government can use that to find out more about you.

Google probably knows way more about you than the gubmint does, and so many people seem to have no problem with that...or posting the most intimate and private info on social media.

I really don't understand most things people seem to "think" most of the time.