Today is officially the day, after many delays, in which REAL IDs are necessary for domestic travel and to enter into secure federal buildings. Regular IDs are still valid for all other means, but if you want to fly within the United States, you will need a REAL ID or another form of authenticated identification. The other identification forms accepted for domestic travel are unexpired passports and unexpired military id cards. If you do not have either of these or a REAL ID, you will likely not make it through the TSA security checkpoint.
The approaching deadline has caused DMV lines of several hours for the last few weeks.
Panic set in for many Oregonians as the deadline became more and more real. Crowds rushed to the DMV to try and get their REAL IDs as soon as possible without realizing that oftentimes the panic was misplaced. However, this was not isolated to just Oregon, people around the country flooded the DMV in the last few weeks leading to long wait times everywhere.
All 58 DMV locations in Oregon reported record-high numbers of check-ins.
The motor vehicle offices were so clogged up by people needing a REAL ID that other DMV related visits were experiencing mass delays too. The Oregon DMV Administrator, Amy Joyce, gave a news release because waits were so long. She said, “If you don’t have a planned U.S. flight anytime soon, consider waiting until your credential expires or use a passport if you have one.” Many other states DMVs were advising the same thing. They are telling people that unless they have an immediate need for a REAL ID, such as nearby domestic flight travel or a plan to enter a secure federal building, then they should book a further out appointment. They hope to ease some of the heavy waits being experienced currently.
There is a $30 fee to getting your Oregon REAL ID.
The REAL ID fee is above the costs of getting a general id card. The fee covers the additional staff and work done to produce the REAL ID. You know you have a REAL ID in Oregon if your id card has a black circle with a star cutout inside of it in the upper right corner of the card.
The REAL ID comes from a law passed in 2005.
The REAL ID Act was a law passed 20 years ago in hopes of enforcing a more secure form of identification that was set on a federal level. This differs from identification cards previously issued, as they were set by state standards. The specialized id card is supposed to reduce the risk of fraud and identity theft.
While the deadline is today, you are still able to get a REAL ID after today.
The deadline does not mean today is the last day in which you can get your REAL ID. Instead, it merely means that the requirement for the federal identification will begin today. Starting now, if you fly domestically or enter a federal building, you will need to show either a REAL ID, a passport, or a military id. However, all other times an id card is needed, a non-REAL ID is still valid.
