PennDOT Hosting 'REAL ID Day' Next Week In Delco

MEDIA, PA — With the federal REAL ID enforcement deadline looming in 2025, PennDOT is aiming to help Delaware County-area residents get their new identification.

PennDOT on Dec. 16 is hosting "REAL ID Day" at Granite Run Driver License Center. The event will run from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and help residents prepare for the May 7, 2025, REAL ID deadline.

"We’re doing everything we can to make sure our customers are prepared for REAL ID enforcement on May 7, 2025," PennDOT Deputy Secretary for Driver and Vehicle Services Kara Templeton said. "Offering these special hours on a day when the Granite Run center is normally closed gives our customers who may want to get a REAL ID another opportunity to be prepared."

The Granite Run Driver License Center is located at 1067 West Baltimore Pike in Media.

So far, more than 2.5 million Pennsylvanians have opted into the REAL ID program.

Getting a REAL ID is optional in Pennsylvania, on May 7, 2025, Pennsylvanians will need a REAL ID-compliant license/identification card, or another form of federally acceptable identification, such as a valid passport or military ID, to:

• board domestic commercial flights;
• enter a military base;
• and enter certain federal facilities that require a federally acceptable form of ID.

Federal REAL ID regulations require that PennDOT must verify the below documents:

• Proof of Identity — examples include an original or certified copy of a birth certificate filed with the State Office of Vital Records/Statistics with a raised/embossed seal, or a valid, unexpired U.S. Passport.
• Proof of Social Security Number (proof must display currently legal name and full nine digits of the Social Security Number) — examples include a Social Security card, a W-2 form, a SSA-1099 form, a non-SSA-1099 form, or a pay stub.
• Two Proofs of Current, Physical Pennsylvania Address — examples include a current, unexpired Pennsylvania driver's license or identification card, vehicle registration, or a utility bill with the same name and address.
• Proof of all Legal Name Changes (if current legal name is different from what is reflected on proof of identity document) — examples include certified marriage certificate(s) issued by the County Court for each marriage, court order(s) approving a change in legal name, or adoption decree issued by your county's family court.
  • Note: If current name is the same as what is reflected on the proof of identity document (usually birth certificate or passport), show proof of legal name change does not need to be shown.

More information about REAL ID document requirements can be found on PennDOT’s REAL ID website.

When a customer gets their first REAL ID product, they will pay a one-time fee of $30, plus the applicable renewal fee. The current renewal fee is $39.50 for a four-year non-commercial driver's license and $42.50 for a photo ID.

The expiration date of their initial REAL ID product will include any time remaining on their existing non-REAL ID product, plus an additional four years, unless the customer is 65 or older and has a two-year license. This expiration date structure means that the customer won't lose time that they've already paid for. After the initial REAL ID product expires, the customer will pay no additional fee beyond regular renewal fees to renew a REAL ID product.

After customers present the proper documentation and pay the applicable fee, customers may obtain a REAL ID-compliant product by receiving the product in the mail within 15 days, if application was made at a Driver License Center, such as the Granite Run Driver License Center, or receiving the product over the counter, if application was made at one of PennDOT’s 14 REAL ID Centers.

Customers who received their first Pennsylvania driver's license, learner's permit, or photo ID card after Sept. 1, 2003, may already have their REAL ID documentation on file with PennDOT. These customers can apply for REAL ID pre-verification and order their REAL ID-compliant product online.