Pennsylvania transport department begins federal REAL ID enforcement

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) has begun the enforcement of federal law REAL ID with the one-year countdown. The enforcement is for domestic air travel and other federal purposes. The REAL ID law applies to all US citizens.

The authorities concerned have asked the people who are yet to obtain the REAL ID-compliant photo ID cards and driver's licenses to get their necessary documents ready and start the process sooner to avoid the "last-minute rush."

Federal law REAL ID affects states in issuing ID cards and driver's licenses if they will be used for federal purposes. The federal purposes can be anything from entering a federal building to boarding domestic flights. As per the law, one will need to have either a passport or REAL ID to board a domestic flight from May 2023.


Philadelphia International Airport COO Keith Brune said that it was important for the citizens to obtain the REAL ID. He believes that there will be a last-minute rush, so he urged people to apply for their REAL ID products as soon as possible.

However, Pennsylvania residents do not need to obtain a REAL ID. As per the official notifications, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation still accepts and offers standard-issue photo IDs and driver's licenses.

Notably, PennDOT has processed about 1.6 million REAL ID products since March 2019.

A REAL ID-compliant driver's license will offer its holder the convenience of boarding flights using their driving license as proof of identification. Customers can also order their REAL ID online, provided they are pre-verified. Once applied online, the REAL ID will be sent to beneficiaries within 15 days. Besides, customers can also obtain REAL ID products from any PennDOT driver license center or by visiting any one of the 13 REAL ID Centers.

Documents required to obtain REAL ID products include a US passport or birth certificate, Proof of Social Security Number, Proof of all Legal Name Changes, and Two Proofs of current Pennsylvania address.