What It Is Really Like To Apply For Your Real ID

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What it is really like to get your new Real ID

 

***Update ***   Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic the Real ID requirement for domestic air travel has been postponed to May 3, 2023.  Though you have been given extra time, we recommend that you don't put this off.  Lines can become long and make your update to the Real ID - Star Card program more arduous than necessary.  Unfortunately, the Real ID - Star Card program cannot be completed online.  You must appear in person.

 

In case you haven’t heard, in order to fly domestically without your passport, you will need to update your driver’s license to the new Real ID card, also known as the Star Card.  Your driver’s license must be updated by October 1, 2020, in order to not have to bring your passport for domestic flights.  You will not be allowed through security without a passport or the new Real ID.

 

I recently had to renew my driver’s license so I went ahead and took the extra steps to make my driver’s license compliant and become the new Real ID or Star Card.  If you receive a notice in the mail that your license is expiring, they actually include a link to the instructions on how to prepare for updating your card to the new Real ID.  I found the information on the link a little confusing and I ended up gathering a lot more information than I really needed.  So, here is the scoop.

 

In addition to your current driver’s license, you will need a few extra documents that prove who you are.  First, your passport.  If you have a current passport, you will need to bring that with you.  In addition, you will need to make sure that the name on your passport matches your driver’s license exactly.  You will also need to bring your social security card.  Again, your passport, driver’s license, and social security card all must have your name listed exactly the same. 

 

If you have ever changed your name,  you will have to bring documentation for the name change.  Now, this is where I found the instructions a little confusing.  As a female, I changed my name when I married, so I read that instruction to mean that I had to bring a certified copy of my marriage license.  I also had to apply for a replacement social security card because I had never updated my social security card after marriage. In an effort to be as helpful as possible, they never needed to see my marriage license since my current driver’s license already had my married name.

 

I probably went about gathering the documents in the most difficult way possible because I didn’t move on in the checklist until I had the piece of documentation that they were asking for.  It took me a month to gather everything.  I had to send away for a new social security card which took longer than usual because somehow I got locked out of my account with the social security administration.  Then I had to send away for a certified copy of my marriage license.  I’ll just say, I was late renewing my driver’s license.

 

The last of the documentation that you will need is to prove that you are a resident of your state.  They want two pieces of mail that are mailed to your address with your name on them and it cannot be junk mail.  It must be a statement or a bill.  I use electronic statements where ever possible, so I just printed a statement off from my accounts and used a credit card statement and a bank statement.  They accepted those just fine.  I am a bit of an over-planner, so I also took a couple of tax documents that had both my full name and my address on them as back up.

 

The good news is I was able to get my Real ID or Star Card on my first try.  I know others had to go a couple of times because they forgot or didn’t have all of the documentation on the first visit.  If you avoid the most common times (first thing in the morning, lunch, and after work) you can get in and out pretty quickly.  I found that getting the documentation for my Real ID or Star Card was the most difficult part but, I also made it more difficult for myself.  Gather your documents and be prepared.  The rest is a breeze.

 

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