Were you one of the hundreds of people who have recently been in line to get a new ID at the Michigan Secretary of State? Be prepared to get in line again sooner than you expected.
Michigan’s Secretary of State will start issuing a new type of driver’s license and personal identification cards on Monday. These new IDs will be required to board flights or even enter federal buildings by October 2020, (reminding you that 2017 is already MORE than half-way over.)
In this undated image created by Kentucky Motor Vehicle Licensing, Kentuckians will need a new driver’s license by 2020 in order to board domestic flights. People who opt out would have a license, right, that includes the words “Not for federal identification.”
Cards compliant with the REAL ID Act will be marked with a small star inside of a gold circle in the upper right corner of the ID. There is no fee associated with this change and the new IDs will NOT have Radio- Frequency Identification (RFID) tech inside them.
If you already have to update your ID between 2018 and 2019, you COULD hold out. Starting January 2018, according to the REAL ID Act issued in 2005, passengers will need ID compliant with the REAL ID Act or they must have proof of extension. This being said, passports will continue to work, no extension required.
October 1, 2020, extensions will expire and you must have a card compliant with REAL ID for domestic travel, access to federal buildings, etc. Your passport, assuming it’s not expired, will also stay working as an acceptable form of identification.
Pulled from the Department of Homeland Security FAQ’s on the REAL ID Act, you are NOT required to have a REAL ID for the following:
- Entering Federal facilities that do not require a person to present identification
- Voting or registering to vote
- applying for or receiving Federal benefits
- Being licensed by a state to drive
- Accessing health or life preserving services (hospitals, clinics, etc.)
- Participating in law enforcement
Michiganders will need to keep an eye-out on the mail for their renewal information. When your notice arrives, check and see if you have already complied with the REAL ID Act/ the steps you need to take to get your ID up to date.
“To avoid future headaches for travelers, we will offer a compliant card for those who want one, and, for those who don’t, we still have the standard card for normal identification purposes,” Secretary of State Ruth Johnson said in a written statement.
That being said, just get the REAL ID. Why not have the ID that will keep traveling problem free?
To get yourself a compliant card all you need to do is bring your certified birth certificate OR another approved document to your local Secretary of State office.
If you have more questions about the REAL ID. Click HERE.
