Homeland Security again extends the Real ID deadline; now pushed back to 2025

Steven Spearie, State Journal-Register
·2 min read
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The primary visual difference between the new Real ID and an Illinois Driver's License is the presence of a gold circle with a star in it in the upper right-hand corner.
The primary visual difference between the new Real ID and an Illinois Driver's License is the presence of a gold circle with a star in it in the upper right-hand corner.

The Department of Homeland Security on Monday gave a two-year extension to the latest deadline for travelers to secure a Real ID to board domestic flights and access some federal facilities.

The deadline previously had been set for May 3, 2023, following several pandemic-related extensions. May 7, 2025 is now the deadline under new guidelines DHS announced.

The extension is necessary in part to address the lingering impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the ability to obtain a REAL ID driver’s license or identification card, according to a DHS statement.

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"Real ID progress over the past two years has been significantly hindered by state driver’s licensing agencies having to work through the backlogs created by the pandemic," the statement read.

Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White said Monday current standard Illinois driver’s licenses or ID cards will continue to be accepted at airports for domestic air travel until May 7, 2025.

Illinoisans who do not fly domestically do not necessarily need a Real ID, White said. Additionally, a valid U.S. passport is a compliant Real ID document, so those with valid U.S. passports do not necessarily need a Real ID.

Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas said the extension will give states "needed time to ensure their residents can obtain a Real ID-compliant license or identification card. 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.”

Real IDs cannot currently be applied for online. Illinois residents must go to a Secretary of State Driver Services facility and provide documents that prove their identity, a Social Security number, a written signature and two documents that show proof of residency, including a birth certificate, a U.S. passport and a certificate of naturalization or citizenship, among other documents.

Every traveler 18 or older will need a Real ID-compliant driver’s license or identification card — or another Transportation Security Administration-acceptable form of identification — to access airport security checkpoints for domestic air travel by the 2025 deadline.

Real IDs are marked by a star in the upper right-hand corner.

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Congress passed the Real ID Act into law in 2005 when it was signed by President George W. Bush.

Illinoisans interested in applying for a Real ID are encouraged to visit REALID.ilsos.gov and use the interactive document checklist. The checklist is designed to help ensure Real ID applicants gather all the documents required by the federal government to obtain a Real ID before visiting a Driver Services facility. First-time Real ID applicants are required by DHS to visit a Driver Services facility in person.

The Illinois Secretary of State’s office has issued more than 3 million Real IDs as of Thursday.

Contact Steven Spearie: 217-622-1788, sspearie@sj-r.com, twitter.com/@StevenSpearie.

This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: The deadline for securing a Real ID has been extended by two years