Pennsylvania REAL ID Update: Here's How Many Have Gotten Them

PENNSYLVANIA — One year into Pennsylvania issuing REAL ID-compliant driver’s licenses, 826,000 residents have gotten one, according to PennDOT. The state is "is well on its way to meeting the projected demand" for the REAL ID, an announcement this week from PennDOT said.

The agency projected that 1.3 million of its customers would get a REAL ID prior to the federal deadline of October 1, 2020. Since March 2019, PennDOT has processed about 2.7 million customers, with more than 826,000 people choosing to opt in to the REAL ID program, officials said.

"The remaining 1.8 million have chosen not to participate or use an alternative federally-acceptable form of ID come the October deadline," PennDOT said.

With six months to go until the deadline, PennDOT continues to encourage customers who want a REAL ID to get one as soon as possible. “We continue to focus on providing the best possible customer service to all of our customers as the federal deadline approaches," said PennDOT Acting Secretary Yassmin Gramian.

Starting Oct. 1, driver's licenses and state IDs that are not REAL ID compliant will not be accepted as identification by federal authorities. That means REAL IDs will be needed to board domestic flights and get access to federal facilities, unless you use a passport instead.

Last month, a trade group that represents the commercial airport industry is warning of a "real crisis" if Congress does not extend the deadline for REAL ID compliance in Pennsylvania and across the nation.

The Airports Council-North America, which represents commercial airports in the United States and Canada, is calling on the federal government to extend the deadline amid concerns that two-thirds of driver's licenses held by Americans aren't REAL ID-compliant.

Kevin M. Burke, the president and CEO of the airport industry trade group, warned of travel disruptions if the deadline isn't extended.

"If the government doesn't make a definitive statement now that they're going to extend this, then we're going to have a real crisis on our hands come Oct. 1," Burke told NBC News.

So far, though, no deadline extensions have been announced.

Data from the Department of Homeland Security shows states have issued more than 95 million REAL ID-compliant driver's licenses and identification cards.

The REAL ID law 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.

Here are 10 common REAL ID questions answered.