CALIFORNIA — Do you have your REAL ID yet? There’s just one month left for Californians to complete an application for the new travel identification.
Enforcement for the REAL ID while traveling begins on May 7.
As reports surfaced of long lines winding out of DMV offices across the state, many locations don’t have appointments available until weeks after the deadline, according to the DMV website.
The REAL ID Act of 2005 says travelers in the Golden State and nationwide will need an updated driver’s license, ID card, or provide other documentation before they can board domestic flights, enter nuclear power plants, or access certain federal buildings.
The federal government extended the implementation of the date several times before (the original deadline was 2008). But it appears that it will firmly take effect next month.
“If you have plans to travel after May 7, upgrade to a REAL ID before the enforcement deadline,” said DMV Director Steve Gordon.
However, Gordon says those who possess a valid passport may use that place of the REAL ID until it is time to renew their driver’s license.
This month, the Transportation Security Administration told CBS News that they are seeing around 81 percent compliance at checkpoints — but this only means that people are either showing up with a REAL ID or a passport.
As of January, a little over half of Americans had REAL ID-compliant cards, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
A spokesperson told CBS that there will be a “phased approach” to enforcement but “people may experience travel delays.”
