Well, not absolutely no one. I’m all in favor of scrapping it.
So am I but I’m basically a no one.
Thanks.
I’m annoyed because I renewed early to be sure I’d have it on time there was a several month wait at my local DMV). That’s a handful of money I needn’t have spent.
From the article:
Sounds like they really mean it this time.
ETA: I don’t think “deadline” means what they think it means.
I think that similar, if not identical, language was used to describe what the situation would be under the previously-planned deadlines, as well.
I probably should have put a “/s” at the end.
Well, I got mine two (?) years ago. Other than the long wait in line, it was pretty straightforward. I feared much worse, given the way people were talking about it. The cost was no more than for a standard DL.
It’s one of those things that’s really easy for some people, not so much for others. All I had to do was bring a couple of documents to DMV in person - but I’ve never changed my name once, much less a couple of times, my name is on utility bills etc.
Maybe when RealID is finally implemented we can use nuclear fusion to offset the increased energy cost of keeping track of all of this info
I gave up, and got a non-real drivers license. I don’t have any document that prices my social security number. I guess i could go in person to the social security office and get a new card. I probably have some set of documents they would accept. But i needed to renew the driver’s license, and didn’t have time to also deal with that.
(I have a passport, and a global entry card. Either of those is going to keep working at airports.)
Some states require a document with your SSN on it, a pay stub or a tax return, etc. My state requires an original Social Security card. I know my SSN & took the card out of my wallet 20-30 years ago when the advice was not to carry it in case your wallet gets stolen / anti-identity theft measure. Anyone who’s had a name change is required to make an appointment for a trip to the local SS orifice…& then a number of weeks wait to get that piece of paper; close to two months before you can even begin to get a Real ID license; maybe even longer if one needs to track down marriage / divorce / name change paperwork from different jurisdictions.
Update: i just completed the paperwork for real ID today. I don’t know what changed, but a few months ago the SS department was willing to mail me a new SS card. So i took that, my passport, a bank statement, and a health insurance explanation of benefits form to my local AAA, which is authorized to process driver’s licenses on behalf of the state. Next up, i need to renew the passport, which expires next summer. (But i had to do real ID first, so I could use the still-valid passport to get it.) To my immense relief, it proved not to be a problem that my current driver’s license and my passport have slightly different versions of my name. The new driver’s license will match the passport.
This flurry of activity prompted by the upcoming election. I’m hopeful, but it’s good to have options. And I’m more anxious about how law enforcement is going to react to a regular driver’s license if Trump is elected.
May 7 is less than a month away:
According to TSA spokesperson Lisa Farbstein, 81% of current U.S. travelers already use a Real ID license or an approved alternative form of identification, such as a passport.
It’s still unclear whether travelers carrying a non-Real ID license will be sent packing — or just face additional scrutiny by law enforcement…
But the TSA has said it plans to begin “phased enforcement” on May 7, though it hasn’t shared details about what that means. In a federal rule published this year, the agency said it could take a “phased approach” to enforcement over two years, with the ability to issue warnings to people without Real IDs to avoid “a serious risk of operational disruption, negative public impact, and potential security vulnerabilities.”…
Another TSA spokesperson told member station KUT that security officers may subject travelers with non-Real ID licenses to extra screening measures.
What you need to know as the May 7 Real ID deadline approaches
https://www.npr.org/2025/04/10/nx-s1-5355902/real-id-enforcement-may-7
I would guess that if you are a 60 year old white with no Real ID you would have no problems but if you are a 25 year old non-white with no Real ID you would be instantly rejected.
White or not, I wasn’t taking any chances, so I got mine done about a month ago or so. At least here in Illinois, it looks very much like a driver’s license, but it is NOT, so you still need them both.
Originally, it was stated that you didn’t need the Real ID if you have a passport. I have both, but I’m wondering if that is still true.
I assume what you got was a RealID state identification card? Because both that (for non-drivers) and RealID driver’s licenses are available. And if you already have a driver’s license, I don’t know why you would get a state identification card.
And yes, a passport is still valid for travel, as long as you have it with you to present to TSA.
Related issue
Wendy Allshouse flew to Florida to visit her father but had to find a ride to get to his house after her rental car reservation was denied.
“They asked me for my driver’s license. I gave that to the person at the desk and he immediately told me that he could not rent me a car in the state of Florida,” said Allshouse, of Winsted.
Their position is that they are NOT the same and even if you have a driver’s license, you have to get a Real ID. It is a separate card. They won’t accept a valid driver’s license for travel. You have to have the Real ID.
Whose position is that? Because I have a RealID driver’s license and have used it on multiple trips.
The people who serviced me and gave me the card. One of several questions I asked was whether or not I could just use that in lieu of my driver’s license. They specifically said no and, in fact, the expiration date for the Real ID card is not the same as the expiration date for my driver’s license. My driver’s license expires on my birthday in 2027, but my Real ID doesn’t expire until 2032