What’s Going On With REAL ID? Things To Know In IL

ILLINOIS — The deadline to get a REAL ID-compliant driver’s license has changed so many times it’s almost a punchline for a joke. Now, the date for Illinois residents need to remember is May 7, 2025.

After that date, if things stand as they are now, Illinois residents will no longer be able to board domestic flights or enter nuclear power plants and certain federal buildings if they don’t have a REAL ID. One exception: A valid passport or passport card works as well as a REAL ID when boarding domestic flights. Additionally, these federal documents are accepted.

Congress passed the REAL ID Act, a recommendation of the 9/11 Commission, in 2005. It “establishes minimum security standards for state-issued driver’s licenses and identification cards, and prohibits federal agencies from accepting for official purposes licenses and identification cards from states that do not meet these standards.”

Here are some things to know about REAL ID and the new deadline:

How Do I Know If I Have A REAL ID?

A REAL ID is distinguishable from a regular Illinois driver’s license because it has a gold star in the upper right hand of the card. That’s a shorthand way of saying a person’s citizenship and legal residence status have been verified.

How Do I Get A REAL ID?

REAL ID cards are issued at driver’s licensing stations in Illinois. In general, those seeking them need to provide documentation showing their legal name, date of birth, Social Security number or proof of lawful status to be in the United States, and two proofs of the address of their principal residence.

LIST OF ACCEPTED DOCUMENTS IN ILLINOIS

• U.S. birth certificate, U.S. Passport or work authorization form
• Proof of full social security number, either on a social security card or paystub with a social security number.
• Two forms showing residency (utility bill, credit card statement, bank statement, or rental agreement.
• Proof of signature: Either a credit card or current Illinois driver’s license or state ID

Why Is The Deadline So Fluid?

The Department of Homeland Security has extended the deadline for REAL ID-compliant driver’s licenses multiple times, most recently in late 2022 when the agency moved the implementation date back two years to May 7, 2025.

Homeland Security officials said COVID-19 pandemic-related backlogs have slowed states’ progress in issuing REAL ID-compliant driver’s licenses.

Those backlogs are greater in some states where driver’s license expiration dates were automatically extended, or by shifting operations to appointment only.

Should I Just Wait Until 2025?

With the extended deadline now about a year and a half in the future, the temptation to put off getting a REAL ID may be great. But that could mean longer lines and more competition for appointments in places that require them.

Homeland Security officials estimated that by May 2023, the REAL ID compliance deadline before the latest extension, only about 56 percent of the U.S. population over age 18 would have obtained one.

While the Illinois Secretary of State provides information about REAL ID on its website, it is not pushing residents to choose one option over another with more than a year before the May 2025, deadline arrives.

“Take your time to know your options,” the Secretary of State website says.

The website said that residents do not need to obtain a REAL ID if they have a valid passport or do not fly domestically, visit military bases, or secure federal facilities.