The Real ID deadline is coming up. Starting May 7th, citizens will need to bring a Real ID card or a passport to fly within the U.S. This is due to national security guidelines that every state must follow.
Brad Schafer, Driver and Vehicle Services Director for the ND DOT, says people need to make an appointment at their local DMV and bring a number of documents to get a Real ID made for them.
"So you need to provide proof of legal presence or citizenship, which his normally done by a birth certificate. Then you need to provide if your name has changed from that birth certificate. A lot of times for females, that would be a marriage license or a court order if there's been an adoption. Then you need to provide proof of social security number, that is going to be typically the social security card, and then you also need to provide two proofs of address."
Schafer says once someone gets a Real ID, they don’t have to go through the process again.
He says lately they’ve been seeing people come in to get a Real ID, only to find out that they already have one. The easiest way to tell if your driver’s license is a Real ID, is a gold star on the upper right-hand side of the license.
Schafer says, though the deadline is soon, not everyone needs to worry about getting it done by May 7th.
"If you're not scheduling any flights until later this summer or this fall, we will still issue Real IDs after May 7th. So, you don't absolutely have to have it by May 7th, its only if you're going to fly right away in May that you really want to get that. You do have a little bit of time yet, so don't panic. Make sure you schedule appropriately."