GreatLakes
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Aug 6, 2015
Real ID is super easy. Most state sites have a checklist. The only people I know that have had trouble were lazy about updating documents, especially if they had a name change due to marriage.
For me not having to carry my Passport was reason enough to get a Real ID 4 years ago. Thanks to the pandemic, I never used it until last week and it worked just fine. Ironic that my first use of it was 2 months before it expires.As Carolyn and others have pointed out, people who have U.S. passports will not need to have a Real ID-compliant driver's license or state identification card.
From the DHS website:
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I now have both, but only because it was time to renew my DL a year ago so I took the necessary documentation to upgrade it to a Real ID. Otherwise I would have kept using my passport past the Real ID "deadline" date. Some people here may well choose to do the same.
That's what I would have done too as one of the updated dates fell when my DL was still good but wasn't REAL ID yet. When the REAL ID date got extended yet again it fell beyond my DL renewal date so I went ahead and got the REAL ID at that time.I now have both, but only because it was time to renew my DL a year ago so I took the necessary documentation to upgrade it to a Real ID. Otherwise I would have kept using my passport past the Real ID "deadline" date. Some people here may well choose to do the same.
Why wouldn't it work? Its not even required yet.For me not having to carry my Passport was reason enough to get a Real ID 4 years ago. Thanks to the pandemic, I never used it until last week and it worked just fine. Ironic that my first use of it was 2 months before it expires.
Correct, not required. But haven't flown since before the pandemic. So was prepared for some changes, which there were several. On the Sacramento end, TSA took our picture, you no longer have to take your shoes off, and they no longer use the "puffer" booth. They had you walk past a bomb sniffing dog.Why wouldn't it work? Its not even required yet.
This is what I plan to do. I last renewed my license shortly before Real ID’s were being issued. In my state, your license is good for 8 years. Mine expires next year, and I’ve been flying domestically for the past 7 years with no issues. If it’s not delayed again and the requirement goes into effect May 2025, I’ll only have a few months without it (and don’t travel all that much), so I’m not concerned. My passport doesn’t expire until 2027.I now have both, but only because it was time to renew my DL a year ago so I took the necessary documentation to upgrade it to a Real ID. Otherwise I would have kept using my passport past the Real ID "deadline" date. Some people here may well choose to do the same.
It varies by state on that.When I renewed my DL, I did it online and it was a real ID.
Child passports last 5 years, so they always need a new one before 16. Both parents need to be there in person. They will need to apply in person for their first adult passport, after that they can renew through the mail.Nothing tough if done it early & everything is a misery if at the end.
Real ID just needed a collection of items like a utility with name and address within 30 days. Some states and regions have very long wait times so I would do it early, unless you are in a mood for a state road trip. Your state should have a checklist.
The passport just needed to renew online, unless it is a growing kid where you kind of just need to do a redo because of all the changes and probably to prevent custody stuff that could be a thing,
So much easier to get a passport/card here.It's insanely ironic that the gold standard for US ID is the passport, but a "RealID" driver's license makes you jump through a lot more hoops than getting a passport. The PITA of the DIY photo standards notwithstanding, the passport is MUCH easier to get.
In most states it's especially difficult to get RealID for minors, because they just don't get much "official" mail. I used DD's passport, birth certificate, original SS card, and a copy of her school transcript (but for the transcript to be valid for this purpose it needed to have her street address on it, which it didn't because her school has digitized all communications. I had to petition the school's IT Dept. to populate the transcripts with home addresses, then wait while they made the software changes.)
Yes! make sure you check what your state requirement is for the Real ID. And maybe bring a couple extra things from the list. Not too long ago I lost my license. When I went to get a replacement, since I didn't have mine with me, I had to provide all the things like I would if I never had one. In my state some of the things you can use are a paystub with your address and ssn, and that can be used to verify both residency and your ssn. You could use a car title, bank statement, bills etc. So I went in with my vehicle registration since it was within the time frame, and my paystub. They wouldn't accept it because since I work for the state, they considered both documents as originating from the same source. I was so irritated. Most of our bills for the house, like taxes, utilities etc, are in a trust name, and while I am on the trust, I'd have had to take the trust documentation along with me to use them, which would have been an even bigger hassle. So maybe take 3 or 4 things lolAs I recall, the state website for Real ID listed the various choices of documents you can use. You have a choice and don't need all of them. Check your state's DMV website since it sounds like each state may be slightly different. I believe the latest date is sometime in 2025 when you will need a Real ID to fly domestically, but that has already been pushed back a few times for various reasons.
Here is what is on the .gov site.
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Why does a child need a Real ID? TSA doesn’t require identification for those under 18 on domestic flights. Is it being used for another purpose?In most states it's especially difficult to get RealID for minors, because they just don't get much "official" mail. I used DD's passport, birth certificate, original SS card, and a copy of her school transcript (but for the transcript to be valid for this purpose it needed to have her street address on it, which it didn't because her school has digitized all communications. I had to petition the school's IT Dept. to populate the transcripts with home addresses, then wait while they made the software changes.)
Well if your kid gets a drivers license at 16 in some states, that might not expire until they are 21. So if that was the case, wouldn't it make more sense to just get the real id to begin with rather than paying for a license at 16, then paying again at 18 for a real id? I know some states have a graduated license system, so maybe this isn't applicable everywhere. But I'd rather just pay the fee once and be done with it.Why does a child need a Real ID? TSA doesn’t require identification for those under 18 on domestic flights. Is it being used for another purpose?
Thanks, wasn’t thinking of it that way. Kids here don’t drive until 17, but like you say, it makes sense to get the first license as Real ID compliant.Well if your kid gets a drivers license at 16 in some states, that might not expire until they are 21. So if that was the case, wouldn't it make more sense to just get the real id to begin with rather than paying for a license at 16, then paying again at 18 for a real id? I know some states have a graduated license system, so maybe this isn't applicable everywhere. But I'd rather just pay the fee once and be done with it.