The Legislature is working on a measure to bring North Dakota into compliance with the “Real ID” federal law.
That law is fully implemented in October 2020. North Dakota has had a waiver – but that waiver expires this October. And a failure to comply means North Dakotans will not be able to use a driver’s license to board airplanes or enter federal buildings. People would have to use a passport to accomplish those things.
The state Department of Transportation is proposing an “opt-in” option.
"We have a lot of people in our state that don't necessarily want to use their driver's license to get on an airplane," said DOT's Glenn Jackson. "So, should we require everyone to bring all this paperwork in to show us, or let them make the decision themselves? We opted to say our citizens should be able to choose."
DOT says a person can ask to get a real ID, if the person provides a Social Security number, a Birth ertificate and a verification of current address, such as a utility bill or mortgage document. If a person doesn’t want Real ID, the driver’s license renewal procedure doesn’t change.
It's part of the Department's budget bill, which has passed the Senate and is pending in the House.
