With a vaccine on the horizon and the possibility of life returning to normal, are you starting to formulate travel plans for the new year? If those plans involve getting on an airplane, you’ll need a Real ID. Starting Oct. 1, 2021, the Real ID will become one of the accepted forms of identification travelers will need to get through airport security under the Real ID law. You can alternately use a passport or permanent resident card.
Who must get one?
Anyone with a driver’s license or state ID who is an American citizen or legal alien needs a Real ID. If you have permanent resident status, a nonimmigrant visa, protected status, asylum or pending application for asylum, you will also need one.
What does this mean for you?
Your driver’s license as your photo ID will no longer get you through security at Transportation Security Authority (TSA) gates. There’s a perception that this only applies to those who will be flying internationally, but the new policy applies to anyone who wants to board an airplane. Travelers who do not present REAL ID-compliant identification will not be permitted through the security checkpoint to board their flights.
Originally scheduled to take effect in October 2020, the chaos of the Covid pandemic has bumped the deadline back to Oct 1, 2021. California and most other states are now compliant with the REAL ID Act, and more than 110M REAL ID-compliant driver’s licenses have been granted.
The origins of the Real ID
The REAL ID was conceived in 2005, in the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. It was initially designed to keep U.S. citizens from holding multiple licenses and social security numbers, allowing government officials to check immigration status.
REAL ID is a national set of standards, not a national identification card
The REAL ID does not create a federal database of driver’s license information. Each jurisdiction continues to issue its own unique licenses, maintains its own records, and controls who gets access to those records, under what circumstances. The purpose of the REAL ID is to make our identity documents more consistent and secure. Be assured that the program is controlled at the state level. There’s no national database.
Getting a Real ID requires a trip to the DMV
DMV stories are legendary. But I had to go to the DMV a few years ago when I realized my driver’s license had expired. I got there early, and there was a small line. Everyone was helpful and courteous, and I was in and out in a little over an hour. Schedule an appointment online to do this now—you have until next fall, but you don’t want to wait that long.
You’ll need documents proving your age, Social Security number and address. Bring a birth certificate or passport, a Social Security card or tax form such as a W-2, and two proofs of address. If you’ve changed your name through marriage, you’ll need a marriage certificate.
Include a Real ID and a Living Trust on your 2021 to-do list
Besides your Real ID, many of our clients are including a Living Trust on their New Year to-do lists. Our Living Trust package includes a Power of Attorney, an Advance Healthcare Directive and a Will. If you have children under 18, it means that you can select their Guardian rather than having the court appoint one for you.
The next few months are going to be especially critical. Mask up and practice social distancing. Stay home and stay safe.
We service the entire East Bay and North Bay areas
Berkeley, El Cerrito, Richmond, Pinole, Alameda, San Leandro, Castro Valley Newark, San Lorenzo, Concord, Alamo, Danville, Lafayette, Orinda, Moraga, Pleasant Hill, Martinez, Pittsburg, Antioch, Brentwood, Oakley, Discovery Bay, Pleasanton, San Ramon, Livermore, Tracy and Fremont. Our clients also live in the Napa Valley, Benicia, Vallejo, Martinez, Fairfield.
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