New Mass. IDs: What 'REAL ID' Means for You

BOSTON, MA – Gov. Charlie Baker signed a bill Tuesday to bring Massachusetts ID cards up to federal standards.

The federal REAL ID act imposes new security standards for state identification cards. Not updating Massachusetts cards would mean residents cannot take domestic flights or enter federal buildings. The state RMV will begin issuing new cards in the fall of 2017.

The Massachusetts Department of Transportation on Tuesday revealed the new design for state driver's licenses and ID cards, which will be phased in over the next few years.

Here's the basics you should know, according to MassDOT:

• There will be no additional cost to customers.
• Licenses will be phased in over a 5-year span.
• Massachusetts residents don't have to do anything until their current license expires.
• REAL ID-compliant cards will not be needed to board a plane or enter a federal government building until October 2020, when the act takes full effect.

The last time state licenses/ID cards were updated was 2010. According to MassDOT, "The new designs will include new security features better protecting the identity of customers and making Massachusetts one of the states with the most secure and technologically advanced cards in the country."

"The new Massachusetts licenses and IDs already include some required REAL ID features such as a second bar code on the reverse side which contains the demographic information printed on the front," MassDOT said. "The RMV is still in the process of programming additional information the federal government has authorized for REAL ID cards which... will include such information as an individual's full legal name and, if pertinent, the individual's legal presence information with the expiration date."

Baker has been pushing REAL ID compliance legislation since October 2015, but legislators balked over the governor's stipulation that only people lawfully present in the country could receive the new IDs. That measure ultimately prevailed, but opponents say it potentially ices out legally present U.S. residents who, for whatever reason, do not have appropriate documentation.

"This additional measure, to seek additional levels of documentation in order to access a driver's license or an ID in Massachusetts, is going to do virtually nothing to filter out immigrants of various statuses from receiving an ID here in Massachusetts," said Sen. Sonia Chang-Diaz, a Boston Democrat, according to the Lowell Sun. "But who this measure is really going to hurt and really going to impede are those who have no documentation. The elderly, folks who have never before had a driver's license in Massachusetts — their lifestyle has not required it and they choose not to have it."

Senate Minority Leader Bruce Tarr, a Gloucester Republican, said the stipulation is key to the law.

“A driver’s license is one of the most important forms of identification in our society, and it must have accuracy and integrity," he said in a press release. "That’s why it’s imperative that our state comply with the REAL ID Act as soon as possible, and without taking any chances that a license could be given to someone not legally in our state.”

Massachusetts received an extension to comply with the federal government's enforcement laws, along with another 25 or so states. Roughly 23 other states are already issuing REAL ID-compliant credentials, the governor's office said. Originally, states were supposed to comply with the REAL ID law by the end of 2009.

>> Top image, via MassDOT, shows off new driver's license look.