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Time is ticking toward deadline to get Real ID to fly in the US

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COLUMBUS, Ohio (Statehouse News Bureau) — The countdown is on toward a final deadline for airline passengers to get the drivers’ licenses that will allow them to fly in the US without additional documentation.

Gov. Mike DeWine shows off his Real ID compliant driver's license at a press conference at John Glenn International Airport in Columbus
Gov. Mike DeWine shows off his Real ID at a press conference at John Glenn International Airport in 2019. (His address and identifying details have been blurred out.) [Karen Kasler | Statehouse News Bureau]
Next May 3, airlines will start requiring a Real ID compliant driver’s license to get on a domestic airline – or a passport or military ID along with a license.

Ohio Deputy Registrar Charlie Norman said the date of compliance has been changed several times since the Real ID law passed in 2005, most recently because of the COVID pandemic.

“The Department of Homeland Security says, they say they’re not pushing the deadline back again,” Norman said. “So we really want to encourage people to take some time, figure out if you’re going to need this.”

An interactive list of required documents is available on the Ohio BMV website.

Just over 46% of Ohioans have Real ID compliant licenses, which are available to all licensed drivers, including 16 and 17 year olds. That’s slightly more than the 43% of Americans have a Real ID compliant license or credential.

 

Copyright 2022 The Statehouse News Bureau. To see more, visit The Statehouse News Bureau.