What You Need To Know About The Real ID

Officials with the North Carolina Division of Motor Vehicles are urging North Carolinians to get a new form of identification. It's called a Real ID. Without it, people will need additional documentation to board commercial airlines or even enter some federal facilities.

The measure has been in the works for a long time. It's part of a law passed by Congress after the September 11th terrorist attacks to increase federal security standards.

WFDD's Keri Brown spoke with North Carolina DMV Commissioner Torre Jessup who says residents should jumpstart the process of getting the ID before the Oct. 1, 2020 deadline.

Interview Highlights

What prompted NC officials to act on the Real ID?

In 2005, Congress passed the Real ID Act, which was intended to improve and standardize the security of state-issued credentials, meaning driver's license or identification cards. So, we in the state of North Carolina have met the federal standard for security of our card. What that allows you to do then is use one credential starting October 1, 2020 to get through TSA checkpoints at an airport.

Not everyone is going to be required to have a Real ID, but if you are going to do any commercial domestic flying or enter a federal facility you should get one?

That's right. These are facilities that are non-public services so for instance, if you wanted to go to the Social Security Administration for service, you are not going to have to have a Real ID. You will need one to access nuclear power sites and military bases.

Would you need a Real ID to enter a federal court building for any reason?

The FAQ answer is no, but I have run into some instances where I'm told that a particular federal judge is thinking about requiring it in that particular federal courthouse. I guess federal judges have some autonomy about the security of those courthouses, but like I said, take the guesswork out of it and get the Real ID and you will be fine.

There is something that looks different between a regular ID or driver's license and a Real ID license or ID. Explain why this is causing some confusion.

The Real ID will actually have a star, or a reverse star is what we have in North Carolina. But the non-Real ID interestingly enough will say this is “not for federal identification.”  So we've had to do some education about this because customers have come back into the office and said "hey, what's this on my driver's license? It says not for federal identification." We've found it has created some confusion with merchants, financial institutions, and so forth. 

We've tried to educate the financial institution industry in North Carolina and we are trying to still educate the public that, although it says not for federal identification, it is still a valid credential for driving and identification purposes. It's just not a credential that will give you a one credential access beyond TSA checkpoints and on federal facilities.

You have to go to the DMV office in person to get a Real ID and you will need to bring the proper documents. What are they?

It's no different than the documents that you are required to have now for an original issuance of a driver's license. You will need proof of citizenship or identity and proof of your social security number. For some people who have name changes, such as women who change their name as a result of marriage, that's the question we get most often. They will need those name change documents such as a marriage certificate. You will also need two forms of proof of your residence or place where you live. It could be your vehicle registration or electric bill, for example.

Why are you educating the public to act now?

Do it now. Don't wait until October 2020 because when other people start to realize that this is a requirement or it makes things easier, they are going to flood us and I don't want the flood. I want people to trickle in and be done with it.

*Follow WFDD's Keri Brown on Twitter @kerib_news