Shapiro urges Pennsylvanians to prepare now for May 7 REAL ID deadline

With just two months remaining until the May 7 federal REAL ID enforcement deadline, officials from the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT), the Philadelphia International Airport, American Automobile Association (AAA), and the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) are encouraging Pennsylvanians to prepare now to ensure they can fly domestically without disruptions.

Getting a REAL ID is optional in Pennsylvania, but beginning May 7, travelers will need a REAL ID-compliant driver’s license or ID card, or another form of federally acceptable identification (such as a valid passport or military ID) to board a domestic commercial flight, and enter military bases and other federal facilities that require ID at the door.

More than 2.5 million Pennsylvanians have gotten a REAL ID driver’s license or ID card since they became available in the state in 2019.

“As the weather starts getting warmer, we know many Pennsylvanians have made exciting travel plans,” said PennDOT Secretary Mike Carroll. “With federal REAL ID enforcement beginning on May 7, your travel planning should include making sure you have proper ID to fly. If you want to keep using your driver’s license or photo ID card to fly domestically, you’ll need to upgrade to a REAL ID if you haven’t already.”

PennDOT is hosting a series of REAL ID Days at driver license centers across the commonwealth. During these events, centers will be exclusively processing REAL IDs to help Pennsylvanians obtain a REAL ID before the enforcement deadline. REAL ID days are held on Mondays when the centers are typically closed. The centers will still be open during their normal hours and people can also get a REAL ID or conduct other driver license business during that time. A complete schedule of REAL ID Days events can be found on PennDOT’s website.

If you’re not sure whether a REAL ID is right for you, the state’s REAL ID online wizard may be able to help. A passport is still needed for international travel.

Federal REAL ID regulations require that PennDOT must verify the below documents:

• Proof of identity: examples include an original or certified copy of a birth certificate filed with the State Office of Vital Records/Statistics with a raised/embossed seal, or a valid, unexpired U.S. Passport.

• Proof of Social Security Number (proof must display currently legal name and full nine digits of the Social Security Number): examples include a Social Security card, a W-2 form, a SSA-1099 form, a non-SSA-1099 form, or a pay stub.

• Two proofs of your current, physical PA address: examples include a current, unexpired PA driver’s license or identification card, vehicle registration, or a utility bill with the same name and address.

• Proof of all legal name changes (if current legal name is different than what is reflected on proof of identity document): examples include certified marriage certificate(s) issued by the county court for each marriage, court order(s) approving a change in legal name, or adoption decree issued by your county’s family court.

When a customer gets their first REAL ID product, they will pay a one-time fee of $30, plus the applicable renewal fee (the current renewal fee is $39.50 for a four-year noncommercial driver’s license and $42.50 for a photo ID). The expiration date of their initial REAL ID product will include any time remaining on their existing non-REAL ID product, plus an additional four years, unless the customer is over 65 and has a two-year license. This expiration date structure means that the customer won’t lose time that they’ve already paid for. After the initial REAL ID product expires, the customer will pay no additional fee beyond regular renewal fees to renew a REAL ID product.

After customers present the proper documentation and pay the applicable fee, customers may obtain a REAL ID-compliant product by:

• Receiving the product in the mail within 15 days, if application was made at a driver license center.

• Receiving the product over the counter, if application was made at one of PennDOT’s 15 REAL ID centers.

Customers who received their first Pennsylvania driver’s license, learner’s permit, or photo ID card after September 1, 2003, may already have their REAL ID documentation on file with PennDOT. These customers can apply for REAL ID pre-verification and order their REAL ID-compliant product online. For a full list of driver license centers, REAL ID centers, and services offered, visit the PennDOT Driver and Vehicle Services website and click on Find A Location.