Be prepared to wait for, and likely not even get, an appointment to get your REAL ID before the May 7th, 2025 deadline gets here.
‘The early bird gets the worm’ is not a philosophy people across the country are adhering to when it comes to getting their licenses upgraded to REAL ID, which is required to fly domestically beginning May 7th.
New York State Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) has been urging New Yorkers to make their appointments for well over a year and now that May 7th is upon us there are few, if any, appointments available.
The South Shore Press went online to make a REAL ID appointment at a Suffolk County DMV.
There are no April appointments available at the Medford, Huntington, Hauppauge, and Riverhead DMV offices. The soonest available appointment at any of these offices is May 8 after the REAL ID deadline. Most offices are booking up quickly through May with the Huntington office only having 2 days in May available and Hauppauge has only four days in May open.
REAL ID implementation has been postponed several times giving the general public a lackadaisical attitude about getting the ID. But, the time is here and you will need a REAL ID or a passport to travel domestically.
“If you have a flight in your near future, the time is now to get a REAL ID,” said DMV Commissioner Mark J.F. Schroeder. “We are just a few short weeks away from the REAL ID deadline, and you can prevent the burden of delays by getting yours now. Making an appointment online is the best way to get in and out of a DMV office quickly.”
The REAL ID Act was passed twenty years ago, in 2005, enacting the 9/11 Commission's recommendation that the Federal Government “set standards for the issuance of sources of identification, such as driver's licenses.”
The Act established minimum-security standards for state-issued driver's licenses and identification cards and prohibits certain federal agencies from accepting for official purposes licenses and identification cards from states that do not meet these standards.
REAL ID is required for: accessing certain federal facilities, boarding federally regulated commercial aircraft, and entering nuclear power plants.
When you do get an appointment, to avoid mistakes and prevent further delays, make sure you bring appropriate proof of residency, with two items such as a current driver's license or non-driver's ID or a utility bill or pay stub with a current New York State address.
Also, bring proof of your full legal name, and if you have had a name change through marriage or divorce, provide a marriage license or divorce decree that shows the connection.
In addition to the REAL ID, the DMV offers an Enhanced ID which meets federal REAL ID standards.
An Enhanced ID costs $30 extra and can be used as identification when returning to the United States by land or sea from Canada, Mexico, and some countries in the Caribbean.
A passport is also acceptable as a REAL ID-compliant document.