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Deadline approaches for REAL ID requirements

DMV office
Rachael McDonald
/
KLCC
The DMV office in Eugene. Oregon transportation officials hope residents will apply for REAL IDs sooner than later if they need them to avoid the rush as the deadline approaches.

Oregon transportation officials are encouraging people to start the process of getting a REAL ID before regular drivers licenses won’t be accepted to board an airplane starting May 7, 2025.

KLCC’s Rachael McDonald spoke with Chris Crabb, spokesperson for the Oregon DMV to find out more.

Chris Crabb: Basically, starting next May 7, if you're going to fly anywhere in the U.S., and you're 18 years and older, you're going to have to show a REAL ID credential.

That can be what you get through the DMV, which is an upgraded form of your driver's license or ID card. It can also be a passport, it can be a military ID. So, there's alternatives. The thing is, people do not have to get REAL ID. This is not a mandated requirement. It's only if you plan on flying or visiting certain federal facilities or nuclear plants, and you don't have a passport, or you don't have any other form of identification that the TSA will accept.

A REAL ID will be required for air travel within the United States as of May 7, 2025.
Provided by Oregon DMV
A REAL ID will be required for air travel within the United States as of May 7, 2025.

McDonald: If someone is going in to get a REAL ID, what do they need to have?

Crabb: We have set up a document checklist on our website. And that will help people outline what they need. But basically you have to bring original hard copy documents that prove your identity, your date of birth, your state address, which is two different proofs of address from two different sources, and that you have a lawful status in the U.S.

So, people have to be prepared to gather all that information, which can be difficult, you know, not everyone has their birth certificate lying around. And then you also have to provide your social security number. You don't have to bring your card in, but you will have to give it verbally.

So, what we really recommend is that people visit our documents guide, it walks them through what they can gather, and then they can either make an appointment for a REAL ID at a DMV office, which they can also do online, or they can just walk into the DMV of their choice.

And, we really want to avoid this huge last minute rush that could just cause backlogs for people to be able to fly because the last thing we want is for someone to show up at the last minute and find out they can't get on a plane and be angry.

McDonald: So, in order to simply drive, you may not need a REAL ID, but if you want to travel by airplane or go to certain places, you will need one or some other alternative?

Crabb: So, let's say I don't want to get a REAL ID because I have a passport. (I actually have both.) But, as long as you have something that the TSA will accept, you're fine. You don't have to get a REAL ID to drive or to vote or to cash a check. A lot of people get confused just by the fact that it's called REAL ID. They're like, ‘What do you mean? My ID isn't fake’. That's not what we're implying at all. It just means that you've gone through an extra layer of security. When you do show up at the DMV with all those documents, we will actually scan those documents and keep them on file for 10 years.

And so, that's where the extra layer of security comes in.

McDonald: It sounds like if all goes as planned, this is the final big holiday travel season before REAL ID is put in place. So, what are you hoping people will be thinking about as they are traveling and if they need this REAL ID in the future?

Crabb: As people are traveling, we want them to be thinking about REAL ID if they don't have it. The reason for that is that in the months leading up to the deadline, we expect a lot of people are gonna start panicking and start saying, 'oh my gosh, I pushed this off, I have to do this.' That will increase wait times at DMV offices. It will increase if you need to get other documents, such as your birth certificate, that will take longer.

And, we really want to avoid this huge last-minute rush that could just cause backlogs for people to be able to fly because the last thing we want is for someone to show up at the last minute and find out they can't get on a plane and be angry.

So this is all about education. We want people to be informed so that they can make a choice that makes the most sense for them.

Chris Crabb is a spokesperson for the Oregon DMV.

Crabb told KLCC the TSA has said that while they don’t plan to extend the deadline for REAL ID, they may phase in the requirement.

Note: This interview has been edited for clarity.

Rachael McDonald is KLCC’s host for All Things Considered on weekday afternoons. She also is the editor of the KLCC Extra, the daily digital newspaper. Rachael has a BA in English from the University of Oregon. She started out in public radio as a newsroom volunteer at KLCC in 2000.