REAL ID deadline extended two years to May 2025

The Department of Homeland Security on Monday announced Americans will have an additional two years before REAL IDs become mandatory for air travel.

The REAL ID was passed by Congress in 2005 in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. REAL ID, a way to more securely verify identities and addresses, was delayed for many years, and was set to be required beginning May 3, 2023.

On Monday, the DHS extended the deadline by two years to May 7, 2025.

The extension is due in part to lingering effects from the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the DHS press release.

People in the Triangle have complained it takes months to get an appointment with the N.C. Division of Motor Vehicles, and others complain of long waits at license offices.

The process to obtain a REAL ID is much like the process to get a regular driver’s license, but more documents are required.

Most people will need at least four items:

In addition, if the name on your birth certificate no longer matches your current name, you'll need proof of your name change. A certified marriage license, divorce decree and/or court document indicating the name change will be accepted. (The number of documents you'll need depends on the number of name changes.)

Anyone with an international marriage license, or someone who is lacking proof of a name change, will need to fill out a name change affidavit at the DMV and have it notarized by a DMV examiner. The name change affidavit costs $2.00 and only take a few minutes to fill out.

NCDMV Commissioner Wayne Goodwin said not everyone will need a real ID as of May 2025, including those who don’t plan to fly anywhere or enter a military base or federal courthouse or prison.

"If you don't plan on doing those things, then your regular identification, whether it's a driver's license or an ID, will still be valid," said Goodwin.

Those who have a current passport do not need a REAL ID. Children under 18 will not be required to have a REAL ID to fly, only adults.

Even with an appointment, be prepared to wait. The DMV already doesn't have enough staff to handle its everyday business and REAL ID will make the problem worse.

Goodwin said the agency is doing everything it can to hire more workers, including increasing pay. They're also working on getting wait times at branches posted online so people can find out before they go.