It is now a full year since the Real ID-compliant driver’s licenses and photo ID cards have been offered to Pennsylvanians and PennDOT says they are on their way to meet the projected demand for the updated federally-approved ID.
After October 1st of this year, a federally-acceptable form of ID will be needed to board commercial flights or visit secure federal buildings that require ID. In Pennsylvania, upgrading a driver’s license or photo ID card to be Real ID compliant is currently optional. PennDOT acting secretary Yassmin Gramian say that they are encouraging people who want a Real ID to get it as soon as possible. PennDOT projected that 1.3 million people would get the Real ID prior to the federal deadline. Since March of 2019, PennDOT has processed about 2.7 million customers with over 826,000 choosing to opt-in for Real ID, with the remaining people choosing to use another federally-accepted ID like a passport or not to take part in the program.
Federal Real ID regulations require that PennDOT verify a customer’s identity, social security number, PA residency, and name changes, if applicable, even if a customer already has a PA License or ID card. Customers can order their Real ID online if they were pre-verified by PennDOT, visit a PennDOT Driver’s License center and have their documents verified and imaged, or visit one of 12 Real ID centers across the state. The closest Real ID center is in Altoona.
