REAL ID Deadline Approaching For MD Residents: What To Know

With the REAL ID enforcement deadline now just months away, Maryland residents should be prepared for the change.

MARYLAND — With just six months left until the federal enforcement of REAL ID begins for commercial domestic air travel, Maryland officials are reminding residents to prepare.

Officials with the Maryland Department of Transportation said residents who want a REAL ID-compliant driver's license or photo ID card should get their documents together as soon as possible to avoid missing the deadline.

"In order to get a REAL ID, you must bring your documents in person to an MDOT MVA branch," according to the Maryland Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Administration (MVA). "MDOT MVA does not have a process by which customers can scan and upload REAL ID documents to our website."

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The agency also has a tool that allows people to look up whether they are REAL ID-compliant. As of Sept. 30, 2020, the MDOT MVA reported that 3.2 million Marylanders had gotten their REAL IDs.

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Those who need to present their documents must do so in person at MVA full-service branches, which are open by appointment only.

If you have the older style Maryland driver’s license or identification card (with no star on it), a $20 fee is required to renew your driver’s license to obtain a REAL ID, according to the MVA. Those who have the new REAL ID driver’s license or identification card — which has a star on it — only need to submit documents and will not have to pay a fee; check your REAL ID status here.

Starting in October 2021, drivers' licenses and state IDs that are not REAL ID-compliant will not be accepted as identification by federal authorities.

While REAL IDs are optional, you'll need some form of acceptable identification to board domestic flights and access federal buildings if you do not obtain one. Other IDs that will be accepted to fly or get into a federal building include a U.S. passport or a military ID.

The Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) created a video that provides the basics on getting a REAL ID:

The REAL ID Act was passed after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks to establish minimum security standards for state-issued driver's licenses and identification cards.

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Department of Homeland Security postponed the enforcement date for REAL ID from October 1, 2020, to October 1, 2021.

To get a REAL ID you'll need the following documents:

• Proof of age and identity: Original or certified copy of a birth certificate or a valid U.S. passport that has not expired. If you don't have a birth certificate, request an original or certified copy (here for those born in Maryland and here for those born in other U.S. states)
• Proof of Social Security: Social Security card in current legal name. Other items are accepted such as W-2, SSA-1099 or pay stub from past three months displaying name and SSN.
• Proof of Maryland residency (two are required): Current, unexpired Maryland driver's license or identification card; Maryland vehicle registration card or title; utility, TV/cable or telephone bill with the same name and address; property tax bill or receipt; residential rental contract; mail or benefits statement from a federal, state or local government agency; copy of federal or Maryland income tax return filing; checking, savings, financial account or collection agency communications; voter registration card; credit card statement; valid Maryland state-issued professional license; medical or hospital bill; or residential service contract or delivery for services performed at the address of residence (e.g., TV repair, lawn service, furniture delivery)

See Also:

• MD REAL ID Deadline Extended Amid Coronavirus Outbreak
• Real ID Denial Drives Man To Threaten Blowing Up MVA: Police

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