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The REAL ID Act of 2005 established requirements for identification that is acceptable for entrance to federal government facilities, nuclear power plants, and for boarding flights in the United States. The deadline for its enforcement was pushed back many times due to the pandemic and a host of other reasons. The current date is May 7th and this time it is sticking. I braved a cold Chicago morning to stand in line outdoors at the Real ID Supercenter to get mine this morning. The process was fairly easy, but please remember all of your documents.
I arrived as the facility was opening in downtown Chicago around 7:30 AM. The line outside was around 100 deep with many more already inside. One of the employees at the Supercenter told me that they have been processing around 1,100 walk-ins per day.
I brought my passport, driver’s license, Social Security card, voter registration card, and a recent utility bill. Make sure you check the list of what is acceptable before getting in line. I saw several people turned away for not having the right documents after spending more than an hour in line.
The inside was just as packed and the process required four additional lines once in the facility. The first was for document check, the second a photo, the third to process the application, and the fourth to pay the $5 fee. I spent more than 2.5 hours to get through the entire process.
Last month, I wrote about a survey that showed that Illinois was one of the worst offenders for Real ID adoption. I believe it based on the numbers I saw lined up. The study surveyed more than 2,300 US residents to find out who had a REAL ID, who doesn’t, and why some have not yet gotten their updated cards. It’s interesting to see the regional differences noted in the survey. These states have the highest percentage of residents without a REAL ID:
- New Jersey – 61.2%
- Pennsylvania – 60.4%
- Montana – 57.8%
- Illinois – 52.9%
- Tennessee – 51.0%
Generationally, I also matched my peers (I’m in Gen X). The least prepared generations are:
- Gen X – 33.4%
- Baby Boomer – 33%
- Millennial – 27.8%
- Gen Z – 20.9%
I had every intention of getting a REAL ID when I renewed my driver’s license in June 2024, but after waiting in line I was told that I did not have enough documents with me and would need to come back. My schedule did not permit that, so I got a standard license.
Anthony’s Take: I’m happy that I made the time to get my Real ID. I now need to wait two to three weeks for it to arrive and will use my passport for domestic flights in the interim. If you have not gotten your Real ID yet, I suggest you make time as closer to May 7th is sure to be pure chaos.
(Image Credit: High Risk Pay.)
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Advertiser & Editorial Disclosure: The Bulkhead Seat earns an affiliate commission for anyone approved through the links above This compensation may impact how and where links appear on this site. We work to provide the best publicly available offers to our readers. We frequently update them, but this site does not include all available offers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed, or approved by any of these entities.
5 comments
Instead of going the DMV route, it did it better. If you have TSA PreCheck, you can have CBP Global Entry for just an additional $15.00 more than PreCheck. Not only do you get the benefits of precheck and global entry but you get a handy government-issued photo ID for global entry that can be used at the airports as a valid ID.
That’s a good tip. I have Global Entry and will try the card today while I wait for my Real ID.
That many people still don’t have a REAL ID?!? That’s nuts. I’ve had one since 2013 and lived in three different states since 2013 (all REAL ID compliant).
Why fight the crowds now when you could just show your passport/Global Entry/passport card for now and get a new license in a few months?
I generally don’t carry my passport or GE card. Plus, I wouldn’t have been able to report back 🙂