The Department of Homeland Security is extending the deadline for travelers to get a REAL ID-compliant identification card.
DHS had set the deadline to get an ID that meets federal standards as May 3, 2023.
That date has now been pushed two years later to May 7, 2025.
There had been prior extensions issued by the DHS.
The delay gives states time to make sure that driver’s licenses and identification cards “meet the security standards established by the REAL ID Act,” DHS said in the announcement on Monday.
Government officials said some of the delays in the implementation can be attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic that prevented people from being able to get a REAL ID, because driver’s license centers had to work through backlogs created by the pandemic.
The REAL ID Act was passed in 2005 after a 9/11 Commission recommendation and sets a baseline for security standards that are required on all state-issued identification cards. Some of the standards include anti-counterfeiting technology and documentation review to make sure the person who is applying for the ID is who they say they are.
Once the REAL ID becomes official in 2025, every person 18 years old and older will need a REAL-ID compliant license or ID card, state-issued enhanced driver’s license or another Transportation Security Administration-acceptable form of identification.
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