Michigan Issuing REAL ID Compliant Licenses

Michigan is currently issuing REAL ID-compliant licenses, according to the Secretary of State’s office. Though the state does not yet require the additional materials needed for REAL ID from all drivers and ID holders in the state, if you present a “valid U.S. passport or certified birth certificate with a raised seal or stamp,” at a Secretary of State branch office, you’ll be issued one of the new IDs.

The REAL ID licenses and ID differ from the existing design because they have a star inside a gold circle in the upper righthand corner. Enhanced drivers licenses already meet REAL ID guidelines and will be accepted as valid ID for air travel even after 2020, according to the Department of Homeland Security.

On Monday, the federal government began the slow rollout of new identification requirements for air travelers.

The REAL ID act, passed in 2005, created new federal standards for what materials a state should require to issue an ID. Travelers from states that haven’t adopted these new standards will not be able to fly with just their state-issued ID anymore, unless their state has received an exemption. Regular Michigan state ID or drivers licenses remain acceptable til October 2020, according to the Michigan Secretary of State.

According to the Department of Homeland Security, as of this week, travelers with driver's licenses from states that are not REAL ID compliant or have not been granted an extension will need to show an alternative form of acceptable identification for domestic air travel. Passengers with IDs from a state that is compliant or has been granted an extension will still be able to use their driver's licenses or identification cards.

Visitors seeking access to military bases and almost all federal facilities must also present state-issued driver's licenses and identification cards that are REAL ID compliant or have been granted an extension.

Image via Michigan Secretary of State's Office