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REAL ID deadline is one year away

Posted at 7:28 PM, Oct 01, 2019
and last updated 2019-10-01 20:28:32-04

The clock is ticking. One year from Tuesday you will need to have REAL ID to board a plane or enter a federal building.

REAL ID is marked by a star in the top right corner of your license or ID. If you are 18 and older and don't have that by October 2020, you will not be able to get through TSA or access a federal site.

"If you delay, you'll join many other procrastinators and find longer lines at the DMV, or worse-- you could miss your flight," said Wisconsin Department of Transportation Secretary Craig Thompson.

To get a REAL ID, you must show proof of name, birthdate, social security number, two proofs of address and lawful status. Here is a list of acceptable documents.

"REAL ID adds another important layer of security by further preventing and deterring the ability to evade detection by using fraudulent identification," said TSA Wisconsin Federal Security Director Mark Lendvay.

You don't have to get REAL ID. Officials say your current ID or license is still "real." However, they say getting REAL ID will be more convenient. Otherwise, you can show a passport or military ID when you are flying.

You can get REAL ID before your license or ID expires, but there will be a fee--$14 for the license and $16 for the ID.

Civil Rights and privacy protection groups have expressed concerns about REAL ID, some saying it adds extra hurdles for people or immigrants who do not have access to the documents you must present.

"Not only does it create barriers for low income people who have to show these limited documents, if you had an error, if you don't have a birth certificate, the cost and process of getting that," said Christine Neumann-Ortiz, the executive director of Voces De La Frontera.

Here is a link to more information about REAL ID.