Tom Barton
Dec. 5, 2022 5:28 pm
Iowans who have yet to receive a gold star license to become compliant under federal law to fly domestically will have two more years to do so.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced Monday it is delaying full enforcement of the REAL ID Act, extending the deadline from May 3, 2023 to May 7, 2025. The announcement marks the department’s third pandemic-related extension.
That means states now will have additional time to ensure residents have driver’s licenses and identification cards that meet the security standards established by the federal law. Roughly half of Americans with a license and state identification card have a Real ID-compliant document, according to the most recent data available.
According to the Iowa Department of Transportation, more than 64 percent of the nearly 2.6 million Iowans with a license and state identification card have a REAL ID. That compares to a national average of 52 percent.
The Iowa DOT began issuing cards with the REAL ID star in January 2013.
Once the new deadline is reached, federal agencies, including the Transportation Security Administration, will be prohibited from accepting driver’s licenses and identification cards that do not meet federal standards.
That means every traveler 18 years of age or older will need a REAL ID-compliant driver’s license or identification card or another acceptable form of identification at airport security checkpoints for domestic air travel. Those other forms of identification include a valid U.S. passport or passport card, U.S. military ID or Department of Homeland Security trusted traveler cards.
REAL ID-compliant documents, which are generally signified by a small, gold star, also will be needed to access certain federal facilities.
The U.S. Travel Association estimates 83 million Americans, or roughly 34 percent, do not have any form of ID that would be accepted to travel.
Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas, in a statement, said the extension is necessary, in part, to address the lingering impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the ability to obtain a REAL ID driver’s license or identification card.
“REAL ID progress over the past two years has been significantly hindered by state driver’s licensing agencies having to work through the backlogs created by the pandemic,” according to a department news release. “Many of these agencies took various steps in response to the pandemic, including automatically extending the expiration dates of driver’s licenses and identification cards and shifting operations to appointment only.”
Congress passed the REAL ID Act in 2005, following a 9/11 Commission recommendation. The act establishes minimum security standards and additional anti-counterfeiting and anti-fraud measures for state-issued driver’s licenses and identification cards.
REAL ID does not invalidate one’s state issued driver’s license or ID card and does not affect using a driver’s license or ID card for usual purposes, such as driving, renting a vehicle, purchasing alcohol or tobacco or entering a casino.
If your license or ID expires before May 7, 2025, you can wait until it’s time to renew and get your REAL ID then. If your license or ID will expire on or after that date, you can make an appointment at one the Iowa DOT’s driver’s license service centers to get a replacement license or ID that’s marked as a REAL ID.
If getting a REAL ID card outside the renewal period, there is a $10 fee.
To make an appointment and find an Iowa DOT location nearest you, visit iowadot.gov or call 515-244-8725.
“We want to continue to encourage Iowans to get their REAL ID when they’re up for renewal rather than having to make an extra trip into our service centers,” said Kayla Burkett, product integration coordinator of the Iowa DOT’s customer services bureau.
To meet the federal requirements, individuals will have to bring documents that prove their identity and date of birth (such as a certified copy of a birth certificate or valid passport), Social Security number, legal status or authorized presence in the United States, residential address and proof of name change (most commonly a certified marriage certificate).
Iowans can create a customized list of documents they will need to bring with them at https://iowadot.gov/mvd/realid/success.aspx.
There are no tests or driving requirements to get a REAL ID license. If someone already has a driver’s license, he or she does not have to take a written or driving tests just to add the REAL ID star.
Once the Iowa DOT verifies a person’s identity and add the REAL ID star, he or she does not have to reapply for that designation when the license needs to be renewed.
For more information, visit www.dhs.gov/real-id.
Comments: (319) 398-8499; tom.barton@thegazette.com
The federal government announced it is delaying full enforcement of the REAL ID Act by two years, until May 7, 2025. U.S. travelers age 18 and older taking domestic commercial flights in the United States must have a REAL ID-compliant driver's license or identification card or another acceptable form of identification, such as a valid U.S. passport. The ID also will be needed to access certain federal facilities. A gold star in the upper right-hand corner designates a REAL ID. (Submitted photo)
