REAL ID Deadline Extended Again: What It Means For Illinoisans

ILLINOIS — Illinois residents have an additional 24 months to obtain their REAL IDs, a document that will be necessary to board domestic flights and enter certain federal buildings, after the Department of Homeland Security on Monday extended the enforcement deadline to May 7, 2025.

Officials said the extension is needed, in part, because of lingering problems from COVID-19 that caused backlogs in state agencies charged with issuing driver’s licenses.

Precautions in many states included automatically extending the expiration dates of driver’s licenses and identification cards and shifting to appointment-only schedules.

In Illinois, the process of obtaining a Real ID has not changed even though the deadline has. Many Chicago-area Secretary of State locations offer appointments to obtain the Real ID where Illinois locations in more rural locations do not offer appointments. As of October, more than 2.9 million Illinois residents had obtained their Real ID cards before the deadline was extended once again by federal officials.

Residents must provide proof of identity. (Examples include a certified U.S. birth certificate, a U.S. passport, an employment authorization document, a permanent resident card, or a foreign passport with an approved I-94 form.) Name change documents, such as certified copies of a marriage certificate, and other documents will be required if the applicant presents a certified birth certificate with a name different from his/her current name.

All applicants must provide proof of full Social Security number. (Examples are a social security card, a W-2, or a pay stub with a full social security number.)

All applicants must provide two current residency documents with the applicant's name. (Examples are a utility bill, rental agreement, deed/title, or bank statement. Account numbers must be visible.)

All applicants must provide proof of signature. (Examples are a credit/debit card, canceled check, or current Illinois driver’s license or ID)

A spokesperson for the Illinois Secretary of State's Office did not immediately return an email seeking comment from Patch on Monday if further changes to the system were coming in addition to the new deadline.

The compliance deadline has been extended multiple times beyond the original date — April 27, 2020 — because of the pandemic. It was extended to October 2021, but in May of that year, DHS extended it again to May 3, 2023.

Past the new enforcement date of May 7, 2025, federal agencies, including the TSA, will not be able to accept identification that does not meet REAL ID standards.

Many Illinois drivers were forced to jump into action last week as the deadline to renew expired driver's licenses or state IDs was Dec. 1.

The REAL ID Act of 2005 was passed by Congress after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Four pieces of identification are required to obtain a REAL ID: a passport or birth certificate, a Social Security card or tax return, and two documents proving proof of residence, such as a mortgage or rental receipt and a utility bill.

In addition to the stars on REAL ID driver's licenses, the cards themselves will be built with new technology, making them much more difficult to forge, according to the Department of Homeland Security.

If you don't plan to fly domestically or visit a federal office, no worries. You don't need a REAL ID to get a driver's license. Also, the TSA won't require children under 18 to provide identification when they're traveling with an adult companion within the United States, but the companion must have acceptable identification.

The REAL ID isn't a substitute for a passport required for international travel, and it also doesn't affect the ability to vote or register to vote, applications for federal benefits, enter federal facilities that don't require identification, obtain medical care, or participate in police proceedings or investigations.