(The Center Square) – Lines have formed at California Department of Motor Vehicles offices as people try to meet the deadline for their REAL IDs.
Starting Wednesday, Americans will need the ID to go on domestic flights or enter secure federal facilities or certain military bases. The deadline for the REAL IDs, which Congress adopted after 9/11, has been pushed back several times over 20 years. The federal REAL ID Act became law in 2005.
In California, the DMV has offered REAL ID-compliant drivers’ licenses or identification cards since 2018. But not all driver’s licenses or other identification cards issued since then have been REAL IDs. REAL IDs in California have a grizzly bear and star graphic in the top right corner, according to the DMV.
To get a REAL ID or convert their current driver’s license into REAL ID, applicants must bring a passport or birth certificate and two documents showing their residency, such as a utility bill or bank statement, the DMV said.
Appointments for REAL IDS can be made at www.dmv.ca.gov or by calling the DMV at 1-800-777-0133.
You can apply for your REAL ID online. The DMV says uploading images of the documents online will save you time, but you’ll still need to bring the documents with you to your DMV appointment.
The cost for REAL ID is the same as a regular driver’s license.
For more information, go to www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/driver-licenses-identification-cards/real-id.
