PennDOT begins issuing Real IDs again after pause amid pandemic
PennDOT has started reissuing Real ID driver’s licenses Wednesday after the coronavirus outbreak forced a six-month pause in operations.
The licenses are one way Pennsylvania residents can meet security rules going into effect in October 2021 that will determine who can board a domestic flight or enter certain government facilities. State and federal officials expect that Real ID driver’s licenses will be the most in-demand version of these specialized identification cards.
PennDOT issued more than 912,000 Real ID licenses by the time it shut down its license centers across the state in March due to the pandemic. When license centers started reopening in early May, the state did not bring back Real ID services due to the enormous backlog of work and as a way of limiting the number of people entering its buildings. Expiring vehicle registrations were pushed back to June and expiring driver’s licenses were extended into August.
“We’re in great shape,” said Kurt Myers, PennDOT’s deputy secretary for driver and vehicle services. “The vast majority of any backlogs we had have been addressed or mitigated. Wewere comfortable at this point that this was the time to start reissuing Real ID.”
Real ID requirements were originally scheduled to roll out Oct. 1, but Congress instructed the Department of Homeland Security to push back the deadline as part of its $2 billion coronavirus stimulus bill. The new start date is Oct. 1, 2021.
PennDOT believes that eventually 2.5 million Pennsylvanians will want a Real ID driver’s license, most of them to board domestic flights. More will need Real ID, but they’ll have other forms, the state estimates.
Myers acknowledged there’s little demand for commercial air travel at this point but said that should change once a vaccine is widely available. CDC Director Robert Redfield said Wednesday that a vaccine may not be widely available until the third quarter of 2021, right around when Real ID rules are expected to go into effect.
“Wedoexpect that it may start off a little slow between now and Oct. 1, 2021, but we do anticipate there will be a surge when a vaccine is in place and people are able to get it and people’s attention is focused on being able to travel again,” Myers said.
Real IDs were created in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Investigators determined several of the hijackers were able to legally obtain state IDs, and the 9/11 Commission recommended the federal government set a universal standard on what information someone was required to provide before they could get an identification card.
In Pennsylvania, Real IDs are optional. People who don’t plan on flying or already have another form of Real ID like a passport do not need to get one. Those who decide to get one will need to pay an additional, one-time $30 fee on top of their other charges. To make sure applicants get their money’s worth, the state is extending these Real ID driver’s license expiration dates four years from their existing expiration date. For example, if a driver with a license set to expire in January 2022 gets a Real ID driver’s license, the Real ID will expire in January 2026.
Anyone wishing to get a Real ID from PennDOT will need to present the following:
■ Proof of identity, such as a birth certificate with a raised seal or valid U.S. passport.
■ A Social Security card.
■ Two proofs of your street address (not a post office box). This can include your current driver’s license, or a bank statement or utility bill that is no more than 90 days old and includes your name and street address.
If your name does not match the name on your passport or birth certificate, you will also need to present legal documentation of your name change.
Pennsylvania redesigned its driver’s license layout several years ago as an anti-counterfeit measure, leading some motorists to falsely believe they already have a Real ID. Real ID driver’s licenses have a star in the top right corner.
Any PennDOT license center will accept a Real ID license application. However, only some license centers are equipped to print and hand out those Real ID licenses the same day.
Of the Lehigh Valley’s three license centers, only the one in Whitehall Township can provide a same-day Real ID. Applicants whogo to the centers in Hanover Township or Palmer Township will receive their IDs in the mail after about two weeks. The license centers are at:
■ 1101 MacArthur Road, Whitehall Township.
■ 1710 Hoover Ave., Hanover Township, Lehigh County.
■ 2473 Nazareth Road, Palmer Township.
Drivers who received their first Pennsylvania driver’s license after 2002 may be able to apply online for a Real ID license. If the state still has their documentation on file, these drivers can receive their Real ID through the mail. Motorists can go to www. dmv.pa.gov/REALID to apply to find out if they are preverified for Real ID. Drivers whoare preverified would still need to complete the online application.
According to the Department of Homeland Security, other forms of acceptable Real ID include, but are not limited to:
■ A passport or passport card.
■ A U.S. military ID.
■ A permanent resident card.
■ A Native American travel photo ID.