Despite having been warned repeatedly in the past several months to obtain their Real ID, travelers are now getting a reprieve from the urgency. President Trump relaxed the timeframe on Monday, March 23.
“At a time when we’re asking Americans to maintain social distancing, we do not want to require people to go to their local DMV [Department of Motor Vehicles],” he said.
“There is no new deadline as of yet,” said Arizona Department of Transportation Spokesperson Jim Tait. “Local DMV offices are open by appointment only for essential services, which could include the Real ID, but visitation is not encouraged.”
The new Real ID eventually will be required for all domestic flights within the U.S., for commercial flights and to have access into federal buildings and military bases. Some private businesses also may request such identification.
Those who have a current passport, passport card, military ID, tribal ID with a photograph or a Global Entry card do not need the Real ID.
To see if your current driver’s license meets the federal requirements, the upper right-hand corner will have a small gold star. ADOT spells out how to get a Real ID on its website at travel-id-documents.az.gov.
Specifically, there are four considerations to prove your identity before going to the Motor Vehicle Division (MVD) office to apply.
You need to have a physical street address and be able to present two physical documents that clearly show your place of residence. A bill or formal correspondence that contains that is acceptable.
You can use a birth certificate if it is certified. If you do not have one, you can order one from the Department of Vital Statistics in the state where you were born.
You can use your Social Security Card. You also can use a recent W-2 form.
Your name must match the name on the documents you are using to prove identification. You can use, if necessary, marriage licenses or divorce decrees to show a name match.
The Real ID will cost a minimum of $25. The previous deadline was Oct. 1, but as the nation struggles with the evolving COVID-19 health crisis and growing concerns about person-to-person contact, Americans are urged to avoid groups of more than 10 people and crowded public places, which could be local MVD offices.
For more information, visit AZTravelID.com, or call 800-251-5866. QCBN
By Ray Newton and Bonnie Stevens, QCBN