Alabama pushes deadline to update driver's licenses for Star ID

Brad Harper, Montgomery Advertiser
·2 min read
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Alabamians will have two more years to get a new type of driver's license and other ID cards that comply with more stringent travel requirements.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Real ID program is called Star ID in Alabama, and those licenses can be issued only at Alabama Law Enforcement Agency driver's license offices. After the deadline, IDs that don't comply with the federal law can't be used to board planes, or for any other reason that requires a federal ID.

But the process for Star ID generally requires much more time and documentation than renewing a driver's license.

Now DHS has pushed back the deadline to get the new IDs by two years, meaning people now have until May 7, 2025. The department said the lingering effects of the pandemic have caused a backlog at state driver's license agencies across the nation, making it tough for people to meet the old deadline.

The star in the upper left-hand corner of the license certifies that the license holder has complied with Alabama’s requirements under the REAL-ID Act of 2005.
The star in the upper left-hand corner of the license certifies that the license holder has complied with Alabama’s requirements under the REAL-ID Act of 2005.

"This extension will give states needed time to ensure their residents can obtain a Real ID-compliant license or identification card," DHS Secretary Alejandro N. Mayorkas said in a statement announcing the change. "DHS will also use this time to implement innovations to make the process more efficient and accessible."

The new ID laws were passed by Congress in the aftermath of 9/11 and use new anti-counterfeiting technology as well as more documentation and record-checks. All 50 states, the District of Columbia and four US territories are issuing the cards through their own programs.

Alabama driver's licenses that comply with the law are marked with a star. An old state license won't get anyone 18 or older onto a plane once enforcement begins. Alabama licenses or IDs issued after April 25, 2022, say "not for federal identification" across the top.

This is the third time the deadline has been extended.

You can get a Star ID in Montgomery-area license offices including 218 N. Court St. in Prattville; 100 Commerce St. Suite 109 in Wetumpka; 1040 Coliseum Blvd. or 301 S. Ripley St. in Montgomery. A full list of offices, documents and other information is at alea.gov.

Brad Harper covers business and local government for the Montgomery Advertiser. Contact him at bharper1@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Alabamians now have until May 2025 to get STAR ID driver's licenses