Feds grant REAL ID extension
The federal government has given Oklahoma more time to implement REAL ID, which is good news for air travelers and visitors to federal facilities.
Officials at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security said Oklahoma has until Oct. 10, 2019, to finish work on adding specific security measures to the state’s identification card and driver’s license system, but Gov. Mary Fallin said the system won’t be ready until 2020.
Without the extension, federal law would prohibit Oklahoma residents from accessing federal courthouses and offices, military bases and commercial air travel without a passport or other federal ID.
In the meantime, Oklahoma ID cards and licenses will continue to be accepted.
“This is great news for Oklahomans, and means there will be no restrictions on individuals using Oklahoma licenses to fly or access federal buildings through October 10 of next year,” Fallin said Friday. “Oklahoma is actively working towards full compliance.”
During the 2017 legislative session, lawmakers adopted a measure to comply with the federal identification card guidelines after avoiding the issue for a decade, mostly because of personal privacy concerns.
The state created a two-tiered system of Oklahoma identification cards and driver’s licenses — one card that complies with the REAL ID Act and one that doesn’t. Oklahomans would have their choice of license, but a REAL ID-compliant card would still be needed to board commercial aircraft and visit federal government sites.
REAL ID was an initiative adopted in 2005 that requires strict security protocols for people who obtain an ID card from their state government. Along with protections built into the infrastructure of agencies like the Oklahoma Department of Public Safety, the cards must include security features to avoid forgery.
In Oklahoma, implementation will include training tag agents and creating a centralized office to handle card manufacturing and storage. There are 43 requirements that must be met by states to be in full compliance, and Fallin said Oklahoma is in full compliance with 30 of those requirements and in partial compliance with 12.
The one fully noncompliant requirement is a final certification letter that the state can’t obtain until it has the system in place to issue the documents.