REAL ID deadline looms for domestic flyers

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Travelers have missed the deadline to get a REAL ID ahead of a May 7 change to flying regulations.

However, the sooner people get their REAL ID-compliant documents, the sooner they can board domestic flights.

Beginning May 7, non-REAL ID driver's licences will no longer be accepted to board regulated domestic flights. Military cards and U.S. passports will still be valid. However, for convenience and document security, U.S. residents are urged to make the switch.

"I just turned 18, and I heard it was kind of like your birth certificate and everything else, it just made it a lot easier, didn't have to carry around as many papers, I was like, 'Why not?'" said Thomas Flanery who got his REAL ID Wednesday.

According to the Missouri Department of Revenue, only 45% of Missouri licenses are REAL ID's.

Temporary paper copies of REAL ID-compliant driver's licenses aren’t accepted to board a flight, and the hard copy can take 10 to 15 days to arrive by mail.

Trish Vincent the Director of Revenue for the state of Missouri recommends travelers to factor in this mailing time.

"If they're traveling in September, they can wait to do that because there's still plenty of time, but for those that are planning maybe a summer vacation, now would be a good time or within the next month or so," Vincent said.

The REAL ID requirement started after the REAL ID Act was passed by Congress in 2005. According to the Department of Homeland Security, the change was to "set standards for the issuance of sources of identification, such as driver's licenses and identification cards."

The law came after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, when the airplane hijackers were able to get government identification as they plotted.

REAL IDs are also used to get into certain federal facilities and nuclear power plants. They are not needed to drive or vote. Children under 18 are not required to have a REAL ID when traveling with an adult.

"Missouri is one of those states that it's an option for you, you don't have to get a real ID," Vincent said. "So, again, if you're not traveling or don't plan to go to Fort Wood or Whiteman, or going to a nuclear power plant or even go to a federal courthouse, you know, it's up to you whether you want it."

To apply for REAL ID, applicants must have a document to prove their identity, a document to verify citizenship, a document to verify their Social Security number and at least two documents that verify their address. A birth certificate is a common document used to prove identity and citizenship.

Applicants will also take a new ID photo.

The DOR has a REAL ID guide to help applicants find which documents comply with each category. The website also features a checklist at the end for users to print out to remember what documents to bring to the DMV.

A standard class F REAL ID driver's license costs around $27.

Hours vary across licensing offices, so the DOR recommends checking online for the office's hours first.

"It's a short wait and just it was a simple in and out," Flanery said. "Just had to bring address and birth certificate and whatnot, and then they were able to set it up for me just fine."