Deadline to get Real ID in Pennsylvania is pushed back again

If you vaguely recall hearing something about Real ID requirements, you haven’t imagined it.

It’s still happening. The new deadline is May 7, 2025.

Previously, the deadline to get your Real ID, identification that will be necessary to fly or access some federal facilities, was in 2020. The covid-19 pandemic disrupted that plan as it shut down Departments of Motor Vehicles where folks could obtain it.

According to a statement from the Department of Homeland Security, the latest extension is needed to “address the lingering impacts of the covid-19 pandemic” that have created vast backlogs for state motor vehicle departments.

“This extension will give states needed time to ensure their residents can obtain a Real ID-compliant license or identification card,” Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas said. “DHS will also use this time to implement innovations to make the process more efficient and accessible. We will continue to ensure that the American public can travel safely.”

When Real ID goes into effect in 2025, every air traveler 18 and older will need a Real ID-compliant driver’s license, state-issued enhanced driver’s license or another acceptable form of ID to fly within the United States. The most common alternative ID is a passport, according to Lisa Farbstein, spokesperson for the Transportation Security Administration.

The requirement first was passed by Congress in the early 2000s.

The 2005 Real ID Act is meant to “inhibit terrorists’ ability to evade detection by using fake or fraudulently obtained driver’s licenses and identification cards,” Farbstein said.

In Pennsylvania, Real ID cards are available to those who want them.

Real ID cards are optional for Pennsylvanians. If you do not get a Real ID, you must have an alternate form of federally acceptable identification, such as a valid passport or military ID, to board domestic commercial flights and enter certain federal facilities after May 7, 2025, according to Diego Sandino, a spokesperson for PennDOT.

You don’t need a Real ID to drive, vote, access hospitals, visit the post office, access federal courts or apply for and receive federal benefits.

With plenty of time ahead of the 2025 deadline, PennDOT recommends getting documents together now, in case you discover you’re missing something, such as a birth certificate.

Federal regulations require that PennDOT must verify original versions or certified copies of documents before issuing the ID. These include the following:

Proof of identity

• an original or certified copy of a birth certificate filed with the state office of vital records with a raised/embossed seal — issued by an authorized government agency; or
• A valid, unexpired U.S. Passport or passport card.

Proof of Social Security number

• A Social Security card;
• A W-2 form;
• A SSA-1099 form;
• A non-SSA-1099 form; or
• A pay stub.

Two proofs of current, physical Pa. address

• A current, unexpired Pa. license or ID; or
• A Pa. vehicle registration, auto insurance card or utility bill with the same name and address.

Proof of all legal name changes (if applicable)

• A certified marriage certificate, court order or adoption decree issued by your county’s family court

PennDOT says it does not have a process to pre-scan and upload Real ID documents from home.

So Pennsylvanians must bring their documents to a Driver License Center for verification.

“PennDOT will never ask for nor accept any identity documents over the internet for any reason,” the department warned. “Any website claiming to provide this service is not affiliated with PennDOT. Customers should not submit any images of personal documents to such websites as they will not be transmitted to PennDOT and could be used for fraudulent purposes.

“Through our website, customers may apply for pre-verification if their documents are already on file with PennDOT. However, this process will not ask you to scan and upload documents,” the department said.