REAL ID Impact on Individuals

REAL ID Usage and Interaction

What will be the impact on individual citizens of non-compliant states?
Per the REAL ID Act, beginning on May 11, 2008, citizens of states that are not REAL ID compliant may not use their driver’s licenses or identification cards for official federal purposes such as boarding federally regulated commercial aircraft or accessing federal or nuclear facilities. If these citizens do not have other acceptable forms of identification (e.g., a U.S. passport), they may suffer delays due to the requirement for enhanced security screening. REAL ID-compliant states are those that have both requested and obtained an extension of the compliance date from the Department, or have been determined by the Department to be in compliance with the Act and the final rule.

Will everybody be required to get a REAL ID?
No. Neither the REAL ID Act nor this rule will require individuals to obtain a REAL ID.

Is REAL ID a national identification card?
REAL ID is not a national identification card. States will continue to issue driver’s licenses and identification cards. Read more Myths and Facts about this issue.

Will REAL ID change how my license looks?  What type of information will be required to appear on the card?
The final rule does not specify designs or layouts of state-issued licenses and states will continue to have flexibility in determining the security features on their cards. The final rule does detail the minimum data elements that must be included on the face of the card. However, states already include all or almost all of these data elements on their cards.

Additionally, temporary REAL IDs need to clearly state that they are temporary, and non-REAL IDs issued by compliant states need to clearly state on their face that they are not acceptable for official federal  purposes.

Finally, REAL IDs will include a security marking that denotes the document’s compliance level.

How is the public’s usage of driver’s licenses and identification cards when interacting with the federal government going to change?
In the future, individuals may use a state-issued driver’s license or identification card to board a commercial aircraft, gain access to a federal facility, or enter a nuclear power plant only if it is REAL ID-compliant.

How long will a REAL ID license be valid for?
Individual states will continue to set the length of validity of their driver’s licenses and identification cards, up to a maximum validity period of eight years.

Can states continue to accept remote renewals?
Yes. States may continue to allow remote renewals for driver’s licenses and identification cards, subject to the requirements of the final rule.   

What about U.S. citizens who were never issued a birth certificate?
A state may use its exceptions process to establish lawful presence for U.S. citizens. U.S. citizens may also present a passport to demonstrate identity and citizenship at the DMV.

What if religious beliefs preclude me from getting my photo taken for a REAL ID driver’s license?  Can I still get one?
No. The digital photograph requirement is explicit in the law. States can issue non-REAL ID licenses to those individuals who have a religious objection to having their photo taken. However they cannot use their non-REAL ID licenses for official purposes.

REAL ID and Privacy

How does the final rule protect the privacy of license holders?
To ensure that an individual’s personally identifiable information is protected, the final rule prohibits the release and use of information inconsistent with the Federal Driver’s Privacy Protection Act. Further, states are encouraged to provide even greater protections via their state laws and regulations. The Department has addressed privacy concerns and questions by integrating these important considerations throughout the development of the final rule, and states will be required to submit a Security Plan that documents, among other things, how the state is protecting personally identifiable information and data.  The Privacy Impact Assessment for this rule is available on the Internet at Privacy Office - Privacy Impact Assessments (PIA).

Will a national database be created that stores information about every applicant?
No. REAL ID does not establish a national database of driver information.  The federal government will not collect information about driver's license and identification card holders pursuant to REAL ID. States will continue to manage and operate databases for driver's license and identification card issuance. Read more Myths and Facts about this issue.

Who will have routine access to the information that the DMVs collect?
As they do now, only authorized DMV officials and law enforcement in the licensing state will have access to DMV records. Licensing authorities will be able to verify that an individual holds only one REAL ID document, and is not attempting to obtain multiple documents from multiple states. Neither the REAL ID Act nor this final rule creates greater access to state DMV records by the federal government than already exists under current statutes for law enforcement purposes. Read more Myths and Facts about this issue.

Does the final rule require states to collect fingerprints or iris images from drivers?  What about RFID technology?
No. REAL ID does not require any biometrics beyond the photograph and signature already required by states and does not require Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology.